


kinda like fate

by soft (onlysweeter), squishy (Snowingiron)



Series: In The Stars (dark narry demigod au) [4]
Category: One Direction (Band), Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Angst, Banter, Camp Half-Blood, Car Sex, Cutesy, Demigods, Families of Choice, Fate, Fights, Flashbacks, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Frottage, Harry (Son of Aphrodite), Liam (Son of Zeus), Light Dom/sub, Louis (Son of Hermes), M/M, Major Character Injury, Manipulation, Mental Breakdown, Monsters, Mother Issues, Niall (Son of Apollo), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Change, Past Child Abuse, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Possessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Power Play, Pre-Quest, Quests, Snow Day, Snowball Fight, Zayn (Son of Apollo), Zeus' dick is mentioned, harry's suffering from some ptsd, more battles, probably ooc but not necessarily since some character traits are the same but twisted, slightly incestuous hints and jokes but none of that counts in greek mythology am i right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-22 01:16:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9575405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlysweeter/pseuds/soft, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowingiron/pseuds/squishy
Summary: "This is war, Horan.""Good. You know what I want when I win."Harry does know. And really, it's a win-win for him, and Niall knows it too.(The first fall of snow and they can finally catch a breath. They have plans, they have time. But the life of a demigod always gets fucked over by a prophecy at some point. Maybe they'll lose something but they also find something. Like courage, love and a stupid brother to drag back home.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> here we go yall
> 
> this'll be multichaptered, at least three!! tags will be updated as needed and rating is teen for now but will most definitely go up (if you’re familiar with this series you just knew that was coming lmao)
> 
> ((also gotta take the time to say if you're reading this and you haven't read rick riordan's work you're totally missing out!! i read them when i was like 12,,,, nearly ten years later and i still love them as much as i did the first time i read them. there's some great representation in the later book series as well (i'll never forget messaging squishy the day of a new book release to tell her one of our fave male characters admitted to having a crush on another male character. weeps)))
> 
>  
> 
>   
> 

_He's so cold_ , is the only thing buzzing inside against his skull. It's so so cold, he's numb all over, this is the end. He never even get to say goodbye to Niall.

His twin sisters are the absolute picture of devilment at the foot of his bed. They're dusted in snow from hijab to hiking boots, green eyes bright, and noses and cheeks rosy with the frigid cold outside.

The cold, that's currently soaking into his bones, his pyjamas and bed sheets thanks to the armfuls of snowballs they've have just pelted him with.

"You're dead," Harry tries to stop his teeth chattering. His twin sisters cackle. "You're so dead. Start packing for your one way trip to pain and icy cold vengeance."

"You'll have to catch us first." They sing-song in eerie unison and they're gone just as quick as they had ambushed.

*

Harry wrings his wet hair out for the second time today and whines. A pack of the younger campmates giggle, peeking over a small snow fort. "Not you too?"

Niall smirks from atop the Apollo cabin. Even without a bow and arrow in his hands his aim is unparalleled, lethal. Harry has to bite back the brief rising nausea of the last time he saw Niall up there; alone, resolute. A final stand under a red moon. His fingers momentarily itch for the familiar weight of his dagger (but let him not be the guy who brings a knife to a snowball fight)

"You snooze you loose, Styles." Niall slides off the roof and lands in a neat crouch, snow crunching beneath his feet.

"Betrayed by my beloved," Harry mutters with no real heat.

Niall’s grin turns soft and he brushes snow off Harry's shoulders. He trails warm fingers up to Harry's cheek and Harry leans into it instinctively, about to open his mouth and profess some kind of foolish love (how graceful Niall is, how he wants to see Niall take someone down with just his hands, that Harry would go to his knees right here in the snow if Niall told him to) when Niall reels back and launches another snowball right in his face.

Harry splutters, the close range and power in Niall's throw sending him stumbling backwards. He manages not to fall flat on his arse. He'll take that tiny victory. Niall's the image of gleeful innocence.

"This is war, Horan."

"Good. You know what I want when I win."

Harry _does_ know. And really, it's a win-win for him, and Niall knows it too.

"Deal. You lot," he yells and points at their audience behind the snow fort. "To arms, my brethren."

*

Niall presses his forearm to Harry's throat a little harder, the next drag of air into his lungs on the edge of burning.

"Yield." Niall says calmly above him. Harry gives an experimental lift of his hips but Niall has him pinned perfectly, a solid unmovable weight. There's no throwing Niall off (not that Harry even particularly wants to if he's honest), but Harry keeps his mouth shut for a little while longer.

Niall watches the slow stretch of Harry's silent smirk and leans down, drags Harry's bottom lip between his teeth. The slide of Niall's slightly stubbly cheeks against his cold skin is a delicious burn he wants all over.

"Ah, _fuck_ ," Harry tips his head back, throat bared. A worthy offering to the victor. "I yield."

Niall ghosts his lips over Harry's throat and scrapes his teeth over the heavy bob of Harry's Adam's apple.

"Heathen." Niall mutters appreciatively.

The praise, like pretty much every single thing Niall does, goes straight to Harry's dick.

*

"Winter break is coming up." Niall notes later that day and passes over the steaming mug of hot chocolate they're sharing.

"Yep." Harry takes a grateful sip, grinning at the delighted shrieking kids that race past them.

"I was thinking maybe, and it's fine if you don't want to obviously, but....do you wanna come home with me for the holidays?"

Harry scalds his tongue and throat on his next gulp. "Really? You want me to meet your family?"

"Is that even a question?" Niall smiles wryly, a ray of sun through the snowy clouds. "I'm actually more concerned for your sake than theirs though. Think you can handle twenty something cousins?"

Niall in his childhood home, the house he grew up in, the home he took his first steps in and said his first words in, surrounded by the people he loves and who love him back unconditionally. Harry sees it like a snapshot of memories to make; walking hand-in-hand down the streets Niall learnt how to ride a bike, pressing up on Niall in his kitchen in the early morning light, sleeping in Niall's childhood room, stealing space and sheets and sweet kisses in Niall's small bed. Harry wonders what posters he has on his wall, what's the view from his bedroom window? Does he have a guitar at home too? How many more piles of full notebooks does he have?

Harry would endure the judges of the Underworld and the Fates themselves. He would face Zeus and walk backwards into Hades.

Harry doesn't tell Niall that. He purses his lips. "I'll check my schedule."

Niall grins, a thousand watts, and pounces on him and for the second time today Harry's flat on his back in the snow with a smug Niall on top of him.

*

Chiron acts as the impromptu judge of the snowman building contest. He's armed with non-alcoholic mulled wine courtesy of Mr. D and when Harry asks where the god in question is Chiron informs them he's, and he quotes, _doing paperwork_ , and nobody needs to read between the lines to know he means he's smarter than every single sorry person in camp out prancing in the freezing cold weather.

Niall sits it out beside Chiron and gives Harry a little push and an encouraging smile when he hesitates at Niall's side.

Harry teams up with a daughter of Apollo, a son of Athena and two of Hephaestus's children and they get to work piling snow. Niall watches Harry's bright excited face more than he watches the snowmen being built around them.

Zayn always loved the snow. Niall remembers the day he made his first ever snow angel, side-by-side with Zayn. They'd tried to make one each while they held hands and ended up with a conjoined snow angel. Niall had laughed until he cried and Zayn had painted a picture of it from memory. It was beautiful, it always was. It hurts to think about it.

"Niall, my boy, your thoughts are very much your own but you seem troubled."

"I'll be alright, Chiron." Niall murmurs. _I always am._

He wonders where Zayn is now. Somewhere he doesn't want to be found. Is it snowing where he is? Is he thinking about their snow angels too? Is he thinking about Niall?

"Oh my." Chiron exclaims with amusement.

"Ta-da." Harry grins and Niall laughs in disbelief.

He'd know the figures anywhere. Not just because of their legacy in history (including Niall’s own family history, and he’ll never be able to quite forgive his father for the part he played) but also thanks to the poster of them Harry has hanging on the wall by his bed in his cabin.

Even sculpted in snow the sheer love and adoration in the shared gaze between snow Achilles and snow Patroclus is tangible. It feels private, intimate, something not for mere mortal eyes yet envious to behold. Niall's chest aches.

"Well," Chiron smiles, trotting over. "It certainly is a much more idealistic version of him but I'm sure Achilles would appreciate it."

"Aw, cmon Chiron." Harry says. "It's in the bag and you know it."

"Well...." Chiron glances down the line of teams at the life-size snow Chiron staring gallantly ahead, equipped with it’s own snow bow and arrow, and trots away.

"Rigged." Harry grumbles ten minutes later when he loses to an Apollo/Ares/Hermes combo team.

*

Niall's head is tipped back to the sky and he blinks out the snowflakes caught in his fine eyelashes. The gleam of his blue eyes are brighter than the snowfall around them. The proud cut of his profile is something from history, timeless, ageless. The son of a god. _So handsome._

Harry's filled with a wonderful warmth that has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the person at his side.

Niall catches him staring and raises an eyebrow. Harry shrugs and grins weakly, helpless to it every time, helpless to Niall.

"You feel like making out in the snow?"

Niall snorts. "Romantic."

"You know you love it," Harry smirks and tugs an unresisting Niall closer.

Harry's about to taste the sly grin on Niall's face, their cold noses brush, but Niall grabs his shoulders hard and freezes, glancing around like a spooked rabbit, predator scent caught mid-stalk.

"Did you hear that?"

"Uh, yeah I hear my blue balls you left hanging."

"Shut up, I'm serious." Niall scans the bare tree line and Harry's neck prickles in anticipation. "There it is again. Do you hear it?"

"Wait, shush a second," Harry squints, head tilted. Yep, it's faint but it's there. "What is that?"

"I don't know but we're gonna find out."

That's how Harry finds himself being dragged behind Niall booking it through a snowy forest, boots skidding over the icy ground.

"Slow down!"

"It's getting louder, can you feel it?"

"What?" But now that he pays attention, Harry can feel it. It's indescribable but he knows they're getting closer.

Niall takes a sharp left and Harry almost careens right into him when they burst into a small clearing.

There are five smooth grey stones set in a circle and in the centre a wreath of withered, black roses.

There's not a noise in the clearing, not even their own panting breaths, flora and fauna silenced by blanketing snow. But there's more here, something unsettled and unnatural. Harry feels the familiar tendrils of anxiety clawing up his throat. 

He wants to leave. He wants to run. He needs to escape.

"Niall?"

Niall's staring at the stone circle, at the wreath, at Harry, _beyond_ Harry, with sudden dread and fear in his eyes.

Harry's anxiety spikes. He fingers the hilt of his dagger and flips it as he turns, not waiting to see what's behind them.

A crack of lightning that leaves them both reeling and sightless the next ten times they blink.

"Fucks sake, Harry!" Liam gasps when the light dies down, one arm outstretched, sizzling with electricity, and the other sweeping Louis behind his back. "What the hell was that for?"

Harry's dagger goes sailing through the air and lands in the snow at his feet.

"Excuse me? What the hell was _that_ for?" He repeats incredulously, clutching his chest. Everything's still a blur. He blinks heavily and sways where he stands. "What are you doing here? Are you following us?"

"Why would we follow you?” Louis rolls his eyes. “Literally give us a single valid reason why we'd follow you."

"We heard something." Liam answers evenly, ever the diplomat. "We had to find out what it was."

"We heard it too." Niall says grimly.

"Huh," Harry bites his lip and frowns. "It's kinda like fate."

They hover awkwardly, a piece of the puzzle they're missing. Liam and Louis stare at the stone circle and the wreath.

"I don't understand." Liam says quietly.

"Neither do I."

Harry's staring at Niall.

"Niall?"

"I-I think--"

A sharp snap of a twig underfoot behind them. They all move as one, instinctual, taking up a defensive stance. Niall reaches for quiver of arrows that aren't on his shoulder. Harry wrenches his dagger out of the frozen ground as he whirls.

It's Tess, just Tess. Harry’s only ever been more happy to see her one other time in his life, under an endless night of a blood red moon

She stomps through the snow in more layers than should be humanly possible, and throws back the furred hood of her parka with a huff.

"I knew I'd find you all here."

"You're an oracle, Tess." Louis snorts. "Of course you'd know."

Tess raises a finger. "Not the point." She claps her gloved hands together and the sudden sharp noise goes unappreciated in the tense, silent clearing.

"Well, I have frostbite and a prophecy for five."

Harry feels faint, relief and anxiety. Of course. _No new quests until the first fall of snow._

Liam frowns and glances around them, down at the stone circle. "There's only four of us."

Tess smiles, and it's a little sad around the edges. How many times has she done this, how many people has she sent off on quests that have never returned? How many friends? How many children? "Every quest has to start somewhere. You need to find him, your fifth."

Harry opens his mouth to ask maybe _what the hell_ or _why me_ but Niall beats him to it.

"Zayn," Niall breathes in realisation, and they all turn to stare at him. Liam presses his mouth into a tight line. Louis flinches. "We have to find Zayn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (there's an @dril quote somewhere in here bonus points if you spot it lmao)
> 
> as always thanks a bunch for reading and we hope you enjoyed!! comments and stuff are always appreciated <3


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, let me hear it one more time from the top."

Liam takes a deep breath and recites the prophecy again;

_All lands turn to white,_  
_as the mourning seasons fight._  
_And when thunder meets the sun,_  
_a son of love is on the run._  
_Four heroes leave, yet five must return._  
_Do they not mend the grief, winter shall burn._

Harry purses his lips. "So let me get this straight," he starts to list things off on his fingers. "First we have to find Zayn, then we have to recover Demeter's missing cornucopia and _then_ we have to book it back to camp all on a very tight deadline or it will surely be the end of the world as we know it."

"Technically it doesn't really matter if we find Zayn or the cornucopia first, but yeah."

"How lenient. And we know it's Demeter's cornucopia because?"

"That's what Chiron and Tess think. The cornucopia is what technically controls the seasons, not just Demeter herself. It anchors her emotions just enough and without it her sheer power would be devastating. Chiron said now that it's gone she'll soon be overwhelmed with everything and her raw grief about Persephone's yearly pilgrimage to the underworld will turn into rage. She could raze the entire earth to the ground and not even realise it until it's too late."

Louis whistles lowly. "Wow. Can Demeter maybe chill?"

"Is it stolen or missing?"

"Uh, we don’t exactly have the finer details right now."

"Could you repeat the prophecy one more time?"

"Harry I swear to the gods--"

"Kidding, just kidding." Harry grins. "And for finding Zayn?"

They look to Niall. "We go to his favourite places, the ones that mean something to him and look for signs he might have left. His art or his graffiti tag. He said he would leave a path that'll lead me to him if I really needed to find him," Niall thinks he sees a brief flicker of hurt on Liam's face. It's schooled into passiveness in the same second. Louis looks suspiciously detached. "But there'll be dead ends and it won't be easy."

"Nothing ever is." Harry says helpfully.

*

Argus and Liam are checking the van for the last time before they set off for the city and Harry's about to either combust or implode with nervous energy.

_Excited energy_ , he corrects and gives himself a little mental shake. _Not nervous. Who's nervous? Certainly not me._

"Fuck I can't believe it's actually here and happening." Harry tugs on the straps of his backpack.

"I know." Niall muses, gaze lost in the dense forest to their left. He's distracted and Harry's distracted with what Niall's distracted with that he startles hard when Louis nudges him with his elbow.

Louis nods over his shoulder and Harry turns, raising his eyebrows with a smirk when he sees who lingers beside the van.

"Aw, you didn't have to see me off."

"And I haven't," Mr. D deadpans flatly, managing to run both a critical _and_ disinterested eye over the van. "I'm here to warn you not to come back dead."

Harry's smile turns small, more genuine. "Words of encouragement that never fail to comfort me. Don't I even get a hug?"

"Hadley please," Mr. D sighs. "Quests of utmost importance, the impending doom of the whole world resting on four frail pairs of shoulders finding a fifth pair? No time at all for emotional displays."

"But there's time enough to come and tell me that yourself."

"Of course not. I was on my way to the strawberry fields and we just happened to cross paths by mildly happy coincidence."

"I'll miss you too, Mr. Dad."

"Largely annoying coincidence. Goodbye."

"Also, frail? Have you seen Niall bench press me?" Harry's still sniggering when Argus gives them the thumbs up and climbs into the driver's seat.

Liam hauls the back doors open and they start to pile in. Niall's still staring at the forest.

"Hey," Harry nudges him with his shoulder. "You ready?"

"It wouldn't matter if I wasn't. Fuck, Harry, we have to find someone who doesn't want to be found. Someone who _left_. Who _chose_ to leave _twice_."

"Hey, hey," Harry repeats firmer and slides his thumbs along Niall's jaw, soft and insistent. "We've got this. We've trained for this our whole lives. We were born for it."

Niall melts in his palms, yields (such a perfect fit), lets himself be held no matter how brief the moment.

"Excuse me, lovebirds?" Louis drawls, hanging out the back of the van. "Can you maybe hurry the hell up please? It's not like we have a deadline or anything."

Harry ignores him, eyes only for Niall, who gazes right back.

"We've got this." He whispers.

Niall nods in his hands and smiles weakly and Harry knows it's the only indulgence of doubt or hesitation that Niall will allow himself. They climb into the van together, Harry offering a hand out to help Niall up and the doors slam shut behind them, on their siblings, on their friends, on their home.

Liam nods to Argus in the rearview mirror and the van rumbles to life. Dirt kicks up on the path as camp shrinks into an ever smaller dot on the horizon.

They've got this.

*

They haven't got this.

They still have no idea where to start. Liam nudges a map of New York City into Niall's hand and a pen in the other.

Niall pours over the memory of his talk with Zayn down at the lake. It feels like an age ago, he feels like a different person.

"I just need time," Zayn had said and he looked pained to admit it but firm. "Just to figure some stuff out. I can't do it here and no one can help me with it. Just....some time and space."

"You didn't even say goodbye."

"Niall." Zayn started, helpless.

Niall didn't say anything and he saw Zayn wring his hands from the corner of his eye.

"If you ever need me, like there's an emergency or you really need your big brother," Zayn's voice broke, "just follow the graffiti. Go to our favourite places, the ones that really mean something and look for the signs. There'll be dead ends and it won't be easy because I'm gonna be on the move and it'll be more hassle than I'm worth, but if you look hard enough you'll find them and when you get the right path, you'll find me."

"Remember when I could just look in the bed next to mine and find you there?"

" _Please_ , Niall," he was desperate then, begging. Niall never wanted to see him like this, not Zayn. "I have to do this."

He couldn't look at Zayn, couldn't look at his shaved head and what it could mean. Niall clenched his hands at his sides where his arms were crossed tightly over his chest to stop himself from maybe punching out what he was feeling.

Instead, he stood without another word. Zayn looked up, startled, and hesitantly accepted the hand Niall offers down to him. There was nothing more to be said. No more reasons or excuses or apologies he can't yet accept.

Niall hauled Zayn up and hugged him tightly and put everything he couldn't say into it. He knew he was crying then, Zayn was too, and they shook in each other's arm.

It didn't fix everything, of course not, but it was something. A beginning of a start.

Later he told Harry he didn't know what was going on in Zayn's head and he still doesn't. Even worse is he doesn't know how to help him but maybe he can start by giving him the space he said he wants.

Which brings him back to here and now. Liam may be the leader of this quest but they're all looking to Niall for answers. _You're his brother, you know him best. Where is he?_

He reels off a few places close by; an anonymous urban art gallery in the city that Zayn had his first exhibition in (Niall remembers that day like it was yesterday, they were both beaming with pride), Rockefeller Center (Zayn's favourite place to people-watch and sketch, especially so close to the holidays), Central Park and the Door of Orpheus (he'll never forget the first time they snuck into the Underworld together, Niall had brought his guitar to open the entrance and as soon as the passage closed behind him on the bright blue sky above and sealed them in he felt like he would never see the sun again. it was unbelievably suffocating in a way he never ever wanted to experience again but Zayn wanted to show him the river and paint)

Niall passes the map back. "That's all for now, I think. I'll make a list of places out of state while we're on our way."

"It's a good place to start," Liam nods and leans over the seats with the map to confer with Argus, muttering something about stopping at a Mexican restaurant Zayn always talked about, promised to take him and Louis to one day.

Niall knows there's something he's missing there and it wouldn't be hard to find out. He can be _very_ persuasive. But right now he doesn't have the heart to push it. Or pull it, or prod it until it's secrets seep out. He'll leave that to Harry.

*

Not two hours into the city they have their first run in (literally) with a monster.

Harry and Louis are debating something up front and Liam and Niall take up the back, pulling the map back and forth and pointing out which way they need to go when Harry turns a sharp corner, looking back over his shoulder at Liam's directions and walks right smack into the chest of a seven foot humanoid with six arms wearing an ugly three piece tweed suit.

Harry's more offended over the garish outdated fashion choices than being picked up by his throat and flung across the street like a rag doll.

He hears Niall's ragged gasp while he's sailing in the air above him and he lands heavily into the side of a hotdog stand.

Harry grimaces and clutches his side, winded. He sniffs and spits blood on the sidewalk as he struggles to his feet. Niall and Liam are already at his side, Niall helping Harry up and Liam trying to console (bribe) the clueless vendor.

Harry watches Louis from across the street. The feathered wings on his shoes unfurl and he dodges six grabbing arms with ease, even managing to make it look graceful as he does. Graceful and lethal, because the next dive and swoop and well aimed kick sends the beast's head rolling lonely down the street.

Six arms reach up to a gaping neck in alarm. Louis plants another kick right in its stomach and it tumbles backwards to the ground with a resounding thud. Louis lands light on his feet, runs and stabs it in the chest before it can make another move. It melts into murky black ooze and seeps away into the ground as quick as the fight had begun.

Louis breathes a sigh of relief and dusts himself off and startles as his little audience of mortals applaud. They think they've just seen a dance battle. He grins, dipping low into a bow and then jogs over to them.

Liam reaches out, squeezes the back of Louis's neck, brings their foreheads together briefly.

Harry blinks. He's seen Louis fight in training before but it's nothing compared to the actual thing.

"Hey?" Niall's holding him up, holding his arm and squeezing his hand. "Harry? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fucks sake. I'm too pretty for this. Talk about taking one for the team. You're all welcome."

Niall snorts and dips his head forward to press quick kisses to Harry's cheek, his neck, his raw throat. Harry bruises like a peach on a normal day, he'll be purple by tonight if he doesn't have some nectar soon.

"Hey," Harry kicks Louis's shin. "Thanks. For taking care of the big bad back there."

Louis shrugs but Harry can practically _feel_ the smugness. "Companions that work together save the world together?"

Harry sniggers but gasps and grasps blindly for Niall when white hot pain stabs up his side and his ribs.

"Yeah, medical attention first, banter later."

*

"I'll admit even with our luck this isn't exactly how I pictured our first time in the city together."

Liam and Louis are scouting out one of Zayn's favourite art museums while Harry and Niall covertly keep watch on the entrance. Well, as covertly as they can while trading lazy kisses in the rain.

"Let me guess," Niall says dryly, arms draped round Harry's waist. "Wining and dining instead of whining and almost dying?"

"You bet your arse wining and dining," Harry says. "There's an Irish pub near the Staten Island ferry and their sweet potato fries are to die for."

"Harry you think enamelled dagger hilts are to die for."

"And your point? I also think your dick is to die for but I don't hear you calling me out for th-"

Niall slaps a hand over Harry's mouth and doesn't even flinch when Harry licks his palm, smirks sharply when he feels the dull scrape of teeth.

Niall reluctantly releases him when Liam and Louis approach. "No sign of him or his tag."

"Well. One down, a hundred to go."

*

Harry's peering up at the towering Christmas tree of Rockefeller Center.

"Reckon I could convince Chiron we should get one of these for camp?"

"Reckon even if you somehow managed to gain immortality you still wouldn't have enough time to convince him."

"Yeah probably." Harry snorts.

Niall's distracted by someone dropping their platter of drinks behind them. When he looks back Harry's switched his boots for ice-skates and he's gliding on the ice already, vainly trying to tug Niall closer.

"Um, what are you doing?" Niall asks.

"Ice skating?"

"No, _you're_ ice skating. I'm going to find the others and help save the world."

"Aw, cmon," Harry waggles his eyebrows. "It'll be fun."

"How do I explain a broken collarbone to Liam?"

"We bribe Louis for ambrosia."

"I've never ice skated before in my life."

"Nothing's ever too late to start."

"Harry."

"Niall."

Harry smiles, a small and soft thing. "It'll be alright. I've seen you cling to a tree with your bare thighs to shoot your bow. I _know_ you've got crazy good balance." Harry lets go of Niall's arms and simply holds both his hands out, palms up. "Trust me."

Niall purses his lips and sighs. "You know I trust you, idiot."

He slides his palms over Harry's and the resulting grin makes Niall's heart feel lighter than air.

"Harry!" Liam suddenly yells in their ears, descending on them like a thunderous spider. "What did I say? And _you_ ," Liam drags Niall back from the ice by his hoodie. "You're an enabler. You're just as bad as him."

"Oh no, he's much worse." Harry smirks and skates backwards just out of Liam's murderous reach.

*

In the early morning they debate taking the ferry to New Jersey but decide against it at Liam's insistence (he doesn't trust the water) and they just about make the next train out thanks to being chased by several starving feral harpies.

They squeeze on and manage to find an empty seat for four with a little table. They store their bags underneath and Niall and Harry take the window seat, sliding into the booth so they're opposite each other. Harry immediately traps Niall's feet between his ankles as Liam takes Harry's side of the booth and Louis takes Niall's.

"We'll get a state or two over to throw anything following off our trail then we'll hotwire a car and drive up to the next place." Liam says quietly so they're not overhead as they catch their collective breaths. "You can all go back to sleep if you want, I'll wake you all when we get there."

Harry watches Niall sleepily watching the scenery zip past them until his own eyes feel too heavy to keep open.

True to Liam's plan he wakes them hours later. It must be late night because it's pitch black outside or as good as early morning again when they finally get off and Louis breaks into a blue car on the edge of a parking lot with ease and has it up and running in no time.

Liam beams and slides a hand down his back and around his waist to hug him to his side when Louis straightens up. Louis flushes at the silent praise.

"Shotgun." Harry calls but pauses as he's climbing into the car, glancing around over his shoulder when he has the overwhelming feeling he's being watched.

*

They scour two more of Zayn's favourite cities with no sight or sign of him.

Countless dead ends with days counting down.

They're running out of time.

*

After a fruitless ten hour nonstop search they trudge to the relative safety of the nearest forest and make camp, shivering, damp and miserable.

Louis's hands shake over the meagre dry kindling Niall could find and after his sixth failed attempt at scraping the flint he swears and pulls at his hair. "A little help, Liam?"

Liam glances over and crouches by the small fire pit. He clicks his fingers and a tiny bolt of lightning sparks into the kindling. Louis lets out a shaky sigh of relief.

They huddle close to the flickering flames but it's not enough.

"L-let’s get a hotel." Harry's teeth chatter in his mouth, hands jammed up under his arms to try and regain some feeling in them. Niall looks unaffected but he's wrapped up head to toe to stave off the rain. "C'mon Liam. Zayn's not gonna be out here in this and we're not gonna be able to do our job properly if all we can focus on is the cold and our collective shrivelled up balls."

Liam presses his lips together, about to protest or put his foot down but Louis tugs on his sleeve.

"He's got a point, Liam. I can't feel my damn feet."

Liam glances at Niall. Niall shrugs with his hands in his pockets. Three against one. One of the things that makes Liam a natural leader is he knows when he's been beat, when to contest amicably.

"Just for tonight." Harry almost jumps for joy. "And nowhere fancy."

Harry perks. "How about--"

"No."

"Or the--"

" _No_. We're on a budget here. I'll decide."

*

Harry catches their reflection as they file into the motel lobby and even though he still manages to look rather dashing thanks to some demi-divinely influence they all make for a sorry sight. Grimy and weary and soaking and much too suspicious for their own good.

_Casual,_ Liam had insisted. _If anyone asks we're tourists for the week, alright?_

Niall charms the receptionist with smiles and rhymes and Liam hesitates before asking for two rooms with two single beds.

Harry's really not in the mood for keeping up appearances, especially not when it comes to this.

He elbows Louis and Liam out of the way and flashes his most winning grin. The receptionist's mouth parts on a silent inhale.

"I think he means two rooms with king size beds in each, please and thank you." And leans over the desk with a wink, his sweetest sickly smile plastered on his face.

The receptionist blinks. It never fails. Niall rolls his eyes.

"Of course, sir," they say in a haze. "Here are your key cards, please enjoy your stay."

"Oh we will." Harry promises, dripping syrupy sweet. He slides the keycard in his back pocket, flicks the other in Louis's general direction and hooks his arm through Niall's, drags him over to the elevators.

He doesn't spare Liam or Louis a second glance.

The plastered smile falls of his face and he plasters himself to Niall instead, stealing a few sharp kisses and sharing the same breath of air that leave his hands shaking where they're clutched at the back of Niall's big coat. He's desperate. Too many layers of clothes separating them. He wants skin.

"Fucking finally," Harry sighs into the warm soft skin of Niall's neck. He's about to take a bite when Niall pushes him back and keeps him at arm's length.

"What are you--" he wets his mouth. He wants it so bad it hurts. "I need--"

"I know what you need." Niall says quietly, dilated eyes on the quick pink dart of Harry's tongue on his lips. Harry's blood boils in his guts. He loves it when Niall's like this; infallible, unflappable. Everything on Niall's terms even if Niall's burning up for it himself.

It's the control, always has been. Harry whines, dying animals noises high in the back of his throat and Niall's mouth curls.

So cruel. _So good._

*

"Are you sure you didn't see that?"

"What?"

They're in Detroit, and they _think_ they're one more sign in the path to Zayn down (and who knows how many more to go) but the tag could be years old and Harry would swear something's been following them for the past ten minutes.

"I....never mind. Just sleep deprived aren't I? Didn't exactly get much shuteye last night." Harry smirks.

Louis rolls his eyes. "Our room was next door to yours so believe me, we know."

*

Along with his numerous daggers, Harry has a pocketknife sheathed in his boot. It is iridescent and reflects more light and colour than Harry could ever think imaginable. The blunt edge of the blade is etched with a beautiful mermaid and Harry has never had a weapon fit so perfectly in his palm. It is beautiful and deadly. It was made for him.

He hates it. He loves it. He hates that he loves it.

From the day he receives it on his 18th birthday, wrapped in silk and chiffon and waiting on his pillow, he hides it. For years it lies buried in the bottom of his drawer and he's determined to erase its existence from his mind because he knows who it's from, it can only be one person.

Aphrodite has never given him anything in his life, why should she start now and why should he accept it?

It's the morning before the quest and he's packing his bare essentials when his shaking hand pauses and closes over the bundle of the knife in his drawer.

Impulse control. Death of him. He tucks it into his boot.

Harry isn't sure if his steps feel lighter or heavier for it.

*

They find their first major sign at Niagara Falls. Harry could collapse with relief. Finally a breakthrough after everything they've been through already. It's not exactly a light at the end of the tunnel, but more like assurance that the end of the tunnel actually exists.

Harry will happily take it.

They don't ask Niall what's so special about this place but later that day when they're on their way to the next city, Niall tells Harry it was the first place Zayn's mum had took them both when Niall had spent the summer with him when they were kids.

Harry feels like he wants to cry a little bit.

Niall _looks_ like he wants to cry a little bit, but then the look is gone just as quick as it appeared and is replaced by steely determination. He shines all the brighter for the rest of the day.

*

Highway lights blur overhead in the dark. Liam and Niall are snoring softly in the backseat when Louis asks him.

"What's up with the shells?" Louis gestures to his hair with one hand, the other on the wheel. "I would've thought that was more a Poseidon cabin thing."

(Harry's viscerally reminded of hours spent at the lakeside as a child and older still, wishing, praying, offering for an absent father he was sure was listening, a god of the ocean that would finally claim him. He was so sure, sure with his whole entire heart and being, that he would've died for Poseidon. His heart had been broken for the second time by his godly parent the day Aphrodite had finally seen fit to claim him. maybe she had felt momentarily merciful and put him out of his misery only to endure him through the second worse misery he'd ever known in his life. He bitterly mourned the loss of Poseidon though Harry never even had him in the first place. Daydreams and fantasies of an overconfident child who thought the world and the gods themselves revolved around him. He still wears the seashells in his hair; for what could have been, what _should_ have been, and of course like much he does, for spite)

Harry tosses his hair over his shoulder. "What's up is exactly, precisely, none of your business."

*

Harry crawls into Niall's sleeping bag and snakes a spit slick hand between them as Niall sleepily tugs him close.

It's fast and hard and over sooner than they'd like but Harry revels in the sharp bite of Niall's crooked teeth in his shoulder to muffle his gasps.

It’s one reason why they don’t notice they’re slowly being ambushed but mainly Louis’s fault.

Harry and Niall stagger half dressed and they all take a shortcut and duck down an alley to outrun whatever is giving them chase.

“Well, maybe if Feathers over here had done his one and only job properly and kept watch we wouldn't be in this mess." Harry sneers at Louis, twisting the dagger.

Louis flushes red. "I resent that," he says and grabs at their leader. "Liam, I resent that."

"Resent it quieter." Liam hisses and a sudden echoing clack of claws has them all grimly silent and pressing into the shadowed wall of the alley as much as they can.

_Your fault,_ Harry mouths at Louis. Louis flips him off.

Liam gives a short sharp click of his fingers and Harry and Louis come to attention immediately. Liam frowns in brief consideration then jabs his finger at Harry and taps it to his palm. _Centre_. Then he gestures between himself and Niall and flicks two fingers around his wrist. _Take flank_. Lastly Liam thumbs his knuckles and Louis nods, the wings of his shoes already start to unfurl. _Aerial attack_. His speciality.

Harry’s about to suggest that maybe the person slacking off on watch duty should take care of this week’s beast trying to kill them in their sleep but really, companions that work together save the world together. He sighs and unsheathes his daggers.

*

Harry and Niall are weaving their way through the crowds on opposite ends of the vast warehouse (three signs down and even a new location named for after this one) when Harry takes a sip of his drink at the same time Niall glances over and happens to catch his eye.

Harry smirks and winks, and that's exactly when the water in his mouth accidentally comes pouring out. Niall stares at him flatly, extremely unimpressed, and Harry would very much like to flee to the countryside to find a nice spot to bury his dignity, please and thank you.

Later when they regroup Niall tugs at the obvious wet patch staining the front Harry's shirt, muttering wryly, “And here I thought Aphrodite kids loved to swallow.”

*

"I'm just saying it's interesting, you know? A son of love on the run?" Louis side-eyes Harry.

"So?" Harry shrugs. "We're all technically on the run, it's fine. I'm not going anywhere."

But Louis isn't having it. "Yeah but this divine prophecy from an oracle of Apollo herself mentions _you_ specifically." He insists.

Niall sits loudly and they startle at the sudden noise. "Sometimes it's best not to read too much into it." Niall drawls, but Harry can see the sudden hardness in his eyes. "People have literally lost their minds over the little detail so I'd leave it if I were you."

"A son of Apollo would know." Liam muses.

"Yeah but guys seriously. A son of love on the run? Really? It's obvious it's about Harr--"

"Stop, I said," Niall's spits angrily, standing again, towering. "Fuck off and go to bed."

Like a puppet on invisible strings, Louis's mouth snaps shut and he marches off to one of the abandoned cars they're using for shelter tonight.

Liam watches him go and frowns. "Niall."

"And you too," Niall mutters darkly, glaring. "I'm sick of the sight of you."

Harry watches Liam spin on his heel and leave in the same direction Louis did. "What happened to gentle?"

Niall grunts. "Everyone has their limits."

Harry presses his tongue to his canine, eyes hooded. Niall catches the look.

"You like it, don't you? The charmspeak."

"Am I that predictable?"

"I can read you like a book."

"Then baby open me right up."

*

Niall thumbs the sharp jut of Harry's hips. A dark flush crept high up his chest, the column of his throat, all the way up to his cheeks.

There's not much room in the car but Niall's not complaining, the less space between them the better.

Harry lifts himself up as much as he can and drops back down onto Niall's lap with his full weight in three quick movements that has Niall chewing his lip raw as his chest heaves on a ragged gasp to regain control of his breathing. He blinks salted beads of sweat out of his eyes and inhales sharply when Harry combs firm fingers through his sweaty hair and tugs hard.

"Yeah still not into that."

"Shame." Harry breathes conversationally, like he isn't arching like a bow above him.

*

"We're not going to California unless we absolutely have to." Liam tells them with his hands clenching the steering wheel.

Harry frowns. "What do you have against California?"

Louis opens his mouth.

"Don't you dare." Liam warns, eyeing him through the rear view mirror.

Louis closes his mouth.

"California is a last resort."

"You know that's where we're gonna find him now that you've said that."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"The risk being the end of the world."

"When you're the leader of a quest you can make the executive decisions." Louis says. Liam rolls his eyes.

"Okay, Baltimore. Left or right?"

*

Someone touches his shoulder.

Harry turns around. "Yeah?"

A faint breeze. There's no one there. He frowns and glances over at Niall, Liam and Louis by the concession stand all the way at the other end of the pier.

*

Technically it's Liam's fault this time.

They're ambushed and scattered in a maze of moving alleyways Liam led them down, insistent he saw Zayn's tag on the walls. Their protests had fallen on deaf ears and they had no choice but to follow after him until they were all thoroughly lost.

That's when they're attacked. They seep from the shadows, and take form around them.

Harry already had his daggers out when they took off after Liam and he takes no time in slashing the nearest lurking monster in the gut.

Not quick enough, he knows it as soon as he stumbles and he grits his teeth against his rising panic (he swears if he looked up now he’d see a red moon glaring back down at him) as a shadowy figure suddenly looms before him.

A barbed arrow bursts right through it's chest and impales itself in the gut of the shadow stalking up behind Harry. He drops to his knees and rolls out of reach and both shadows make hacking noise, futility trying to drag a breath of air into their lungs.

Harry looks up and there's Niall again, standing like a pillar in the bright sunlight (no red moons in sight), bow drawn, arrow knocked and held in firm, steady hands.

Down on the ground at his mercy Niall is a statuesque force unmovable by time, nature, humanity or divinity. The sun bows to no one. Niall is a beacon to match the sun itself and Harry has to force himself to look away, his eyes burning, his throat, his heart. _The sun bows to no one._

Niall sways on his feet when he unsteadily scales the wall back down to solid ground. Harry takes one of his arms and slings it over his shoulder. Liam takes the other and they stagger into the street, Louis leading the way.

They run until they physically can't move anymore and make camp exactly where they collapse in a crop of evergreens at the edge of town.

They don't speak, they don't even light a fire, but Harry knows Liam's going to stay up on watch.

Niall's unconscious where Harry finally lays him down. Harry zips up Niall's sleeping bag around him and strokes back his blonde hair. It needs dyeing again. The thought shouldn't feel so fond. Harry shrugs into his own sleeping bag, settles down beside Niall, curling up close enough to watch the steady rise and fall of his chest, and his eyes are just drooping closed when he hears Liam's distant ragged voice.

"They could've died."

"Liam--"

"It's my fault."

"You didn't know what would happen, Liam. No one does. You're doing all you can."

"Fuck, am I though? I need to be better, stronger. I'm trying to be a good leader but gods it's so hard," Liam's broken voice is muffled. He must have a hand pressed to his mouth. "I miss him so much, Louis."

"We'll find him, I promise," Louis whispers into Liam's neck. "And then we'll take him home."

Their voices die down until all Harry hears are murmurings and soft little exhales and sighs and then silence. Harry stares at the dense shadows of the night surrounding them, watching for any sign of movement or something more. But no, not tonight. Tonight they're just shadows.

It doesn't make sleep any easier.

*

Things are different after that. Sure, they might have been companions on a quest but they’re so much more than that now. How could they not be?

Harry doesn’t know if it’s the almost being killed multiple times or the saving each other from almost being killed multiple times but now they are a team. And Harry thinks, hopes, in his heart of hearts that they are all friends.

It’s in the little things. The helping hand back up to their feet, remembering food preferences and who likes what best, the comfort they take and share in each other. They’ve bled together, fought together, laughed together, loved together. They argue and bicker, of course they do. It’s natural. They have their dark days when they can hardly string three decent words together to each other, the weight of everything at stake weighing heavily on each of their shoulders, but those days are vastly overshadowed by the good days because the good days are so _good_. He’ll treasure some of the memories he’s made with them, if only he couldn’t ignore the part of his heart that knew they were missing someone.

And Harry thinks, hopes, they’ll have time to do this properly, cement their friendship and take their time to sit back and watch it grow into something legendary because fate has one direction and kinda like fate, they were all meant to be.

*

A little elderly Japanese lady with a kindly smile offers to take their picture for them.

They're at the Grand Canyon, three more signs down and Harry's feeling lighter than air as he gratefully presses his camera into her wrinkled hands.

"Thank you! It's this button right here," he taps it and then drags his hesitant companions into shot with the best of the glorious view behind them.

Harry slings his arm around Niall's shoulders and pulls him in so they're cheek to cheek. He has the other around Liam but lets him stay at arm's length.

Niall slides his arm around Harry's waist. The camera clicks and Harry sees Niall's tight closed mouth smile from the corner of his and frowns slightly.

"One more, for luck!" Their unofficial photographer calls and Harry ducks his head and presses a kiss to Niall's throat, face buried in his neck and Niall throws his head back in an open mouthed snigger.

_Click!_

They thank her profusely. She calls them good boys and wishes them safe travels. Harry looks through the pictures on their journey to Nevada. Liam has his arm around Louis's waist too on the opposite end of Harry but it is Niall's silent laugh Harry stares at, forever captured in time on the tiny screen of his camera.

Niall's snoozing on his shoulder, the orange glow of sunset on the horizon around them offers the illusion of hope, they just have to keep going and Harry, despite the impending doom of the world, has never felt so content, never felt peace like this.

He turns the camera on himself and Niall and snaps a quick picture to immortalise the moment.

It quietly, hesitantly feels like they're all going to be okay.

*

The light and the noise and sheer pulsing life and vibrancy of Las Vegas is nothing compared to the goddess standing before them.

"This can't be happening."

Harry has faced monsters of an endless red night, a titan's wrath. He's faced his own heart. He always wins. He can't win this. There is no winning this.

Her presence is overwhelming. Aphrodite's atmosphere is all encompassing. There is something undeniable about her. She is intoxicating in every possible perceivable way.

All three of them are gaping openly.

"Stop it." Harry seethes, furious. "Stop looking at her like she's everything. She's _nothing_ , not to me."

_don't they know what she did? what happened to him because of her, what he became? of course they don't._

"Harry." Aphrodite breathes, her whole being shimmers with pained regret.

"Don't," Harry raises a shaking hand to try and physically block her out. "You don't get to do this to me, not now. It was you, wasn't it? You've been following us for weeks."

Harry vaguely registers Liam and Louis hovering uncertainly at the edge of his breakdown. If possible he feels even more mortified, it's fucked up enough that Niall has to see this let alone two people he now considers close friends. He wants to die.

"Excuse me, your goddessness?" Liam asks, dazed. "I'm sorry but may I ask what you're doing here on our very time sensitive quest?"

"I'm here to talk to my son, if he allows it."

_My son_.

"I can't do this. I can't. _Fuck_ ," Harry braces his hands on his thighs and stoops over, hyperventilating. "I wanna die."

Niall rushes over, touches his back gently. Harry roughly shoves him off.

"Don't fucking touch me."

"It's alright, you're okay." Niall tries, voice low and soothing. "It's okay."

Harry looks at him like he's lost his mind. "Nothing about this is okay." He feels like he's going to be sick. "If you love me, charmspeak her away."

"Harry." Niall gasps.

Harry desperately clutches Niall's shirt. " _Please_ , Niall."

"It won't work. Not on a goddess."

" _Try_."

"I can't!" Niall says urgently.

Aphrodite takes a small step closer. "If you wish for me to leave Harry, tell me and I will."

"Leave." Harry says immediately. He can’t bear this. This can’t be happening. "It'll be the first fucking thing I've asked for that you've actually done. And take _this_ with you," Harry crouches and tears the iridescent pocketknife from his boot and launches it at the goddess.

It lands at her feet. Aphrodite stares at it. They all stare at it, at her. Aphrodite's eyes glisten when she looks back up, a single tear escaping and rolling down her flushed cheek. She bows her head and in a short, sharp burst of perfumed smoky light, disappears from sight.

*

The world around them feels gut wrenchingly emptier now that her all consuming presence is gone.

Niall coughs and wafts the smoke away, breathe a shaky sigh of relief and turns around and--

Harry isn't there.

It's still smoky, he waits for it to clear. There's Liam, Louis. Harry's nowhere in sight.

"Harry?" Niall frowns and glances around with rising dread and apprehension. "Harry!"

A crunch underfoot. Niall pauses and his gut clenches.

He lifts his foot and there, crushed into the tiled sidewalk of Las Vegas and so far away from the sea and the person who wears them in his hair, is a single seashell.

The world is a grey blur around him, blood roars in his ears. Niall feels empty, hollow and suddenly overwhelmingly hopeless.

Harry takes the light and the life and the colour and the love with him when he runs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ultimate bonus points to anyone who knows which irish pub in nyc harry mentioned in the fic (i swear i spent $40 on food there)
> 
> all the love for all the lovely feedback we've had on this au, we really appreciate it!!


	3. Chapter 3

Harry left, like Zayn. He didn't say goodbye, like Zayn. _A son of love is on the run_. Niall doesn't know what to say. He is not crying, he's just staring at the crushed seashell. There must be a reason why people keep leaving him behind. There _must_ be, and it frustrates him because he doesn't know where he went wrong. Why haven't they talked to him? Why is everyone _running_? The worst thing is that everyone likes to keep him in the dark. Niall is not stupid and there are a lot of things he can figure out just by looking at people. But it's a lonely life, when no one trusts you. Lonely and frustrating. 

Frustrating, that is the right word. He doesn't feel like crying, not in the slightest. Niall takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, trying to swallow the lump in his throat, then he steps forward and picks up whatever Harry had thrown at Aphrodite's feet. It is a pocketknife, gleaming like a rainbow with a mermaid etched into it. It is beautiful and Niall instantly knows that Harry loves this knife. It has been crafted for him without doubt, by Aphrodite herself, or perhaps on her order. Niall will keep it, for now. 

"Niall?"

Niall tenses when he hears Liam's voice. It is soft, too soft and right now Niall doesn't know how to deal with softness, doesn't remember how to be gentle. It all has been sucked out of his blood system, leaving nothing but iron, cold and hard. 

"What do you want?"

He must sound as detached as he feels because Louis sucks in a sharp breath.

"Niall," Liam says again, a little harder this time. "I'm sure he'll come back. But we can't lose focus now, we're still on a quest."

"A quest?" Niall turns around as he pockets the knife. "Fuck the quest. Just... _fuck_ it. Why do I have to keep looking for people who don't want to see me? So they can run out on me too?" 

Niall can't stand the sight of Liam, with this parental look plastered on his face. He can't even look at Louis, who seems so sad. So he turns away to gather his things, only to be stopped by Liam's hand on his arm. Niall tenses.

"Let me go," Niall says.

"No. We're a team, remember?"

"Let me go," he hisses.

"You're doing the same now, Niall? Run away from _us_?"

Niall scowls at Liam and grabs his arm in return, keeping it in a tight grip.

"Why not? Maybe this world should rot. Maybe it can't be saved this time." Niall feels like he is burning up with vanity and loathing and indifference, all of it boiling up into something close to rage.

"You don't mean that."

"I do-"

"Niall."

"-not care."

"Niall!"

He smells it first before he sees it. Fabric and flesh smoking under his hand. Liam is screaming, trying to tear his arm away but Niall can't let go, doesn't know how. He's staring at it, sees the skin melt away until there is raw flesh and he feels... powerful. Too much, it's _too much_ and this time it is Louis who screams Liam's name; Liam, whose face is screwed up from the pain, and he lifts his other arm, little bolts of lightning dripping from it like liquid.

It's the last thing Niall sees before there is an excruciating pain hitting him right in the face, cutting his face open like a hot knife and the scream dies in his throat as everything turns black.

*

It is hard for Niall to keep it in sometimes. Being gentle, being a good person, it is a choice he made a long time ago. He made that choice when everything around him was falling apart and there was no one left but him. At least five times a day Niall has mean thoughts, three times a day he feels the urge to push someone out of the way. Occasionally he wants to hurt someone. 

There are days when it overwhelms him, when he is barely holding it together. He has a limit and right now he tip toes along the line, overstepping it just that little bit. He looks at the girl in front of him and her hopeful smile. She's blind in her right eye, asking him about his birthday because they both turn sixteen next month. It's on the tip of his tongue, the cruelty, but before it can slip past his lips there is an arm draping itself over his shoulder, pressing against his chest until he is pushed into a lean body.

"Sorry! I have to steal my brother away!" He sounds cheerful and the girl blinks at them(what was her name? Think think _think_ , dammit Niall, you promised to be better than that), but then Zayn's voice drops low into his ear. "Come with me, Ni."

Niall doesn't say anything to the girl but lets Zayn drag him away until they're back in the cabin, alone. Zayn rubs his trembling arms and then pushes the jacket off from his shoulders so they're both just wearing their camp shirts.

"It's so hard," Niall finally chokes out. "Sometimes I..."

"I know," Zayn murmurs and pulls them both into bed, Niall fitting himself into his brother's arms so naturally.

There are hands in his hair, sweeping back the blond locks that show dark roots. They both need to dye their hair again soon.

"I wanted to give in today," Niall says and lifts his head to look Zayn in the eye. "wanted to be a god and smash the kid's hopes and dreams."

Zayn nods. "I know. But you didn't. I'm very proud of you."

Niall gives a frustrated grown and presses his forehead against Zayn's. "But what if I lose focus one day?"

"Then I'd still love you." Zayn, so bold with his words, beyond doubt. 

How is he doing that? Always looking out for Niall when there are other siblings trying to get his attention. Niall doesn't understand. Zayn will be the next head counsellor for sure and then what? Things will change, but he _needs_ Zayn. There is no one else.

"Hey Niall," Zayn whispers into the small space between them. "If someone asks me I will deny it, but you know you're my favourite brother, right?"

Niall stares at him, eyes still dark from his not so gentle thoughts. Without thinking he presses a dry kiss to the corner of Zayn's mouth, just a quick peck. Niall pulls him closer, wants to crawl inside of him just for a little while, to feel a familiar touch. It's not like they haven't fooled around before, they had hit puberty at the same time after all. Just boys figuring out what to do with the change of their bodies. Sometimes Niall thinks he could fall in love with Zayn. But he doesn't need a lover. He needs a brother.

"Right," Niall breathes. "You know you're what keeps me grounded, right?"

Zayn smiles. "Right. And I won't go anywhere, I promise."

Niall believes him.

*

"Zeus' fucking dick on a pogo stick," Niall curses as soon as he is conscious again (Harry would be proud of him). He can't open his eyes yet but he feels the hot sting in his left cheek.

"I'm sure Zeus will be delighted to hear that," Louis grumbles and Niall figures that the sting comes from whatever Louis is dabbing on his face.

"Fuck, Louis, stop," he groans and tries to roll away, finally opening his eyes.

"No, _you_ stop."

Niall finally recognises the trembling in Louis' voice and turns his head. Louis looks like he had a rough night and pushes at Niall's chin until he shifts back. Niall is lying on his sleeping bag close to the fire, the snow already melting away.

"Sorry," Niall whispers. "What... what exactly happened?"

"Both of you were being idiots, that's what happened. I'm not an Apollo kid, you know? I have no healing abilities, I just have that stupid first-aid kit and it doesn't say first-aid-kit-for-idiotic-demigods, so you have to fucking deal with the pain, _okay_?"

Louis is scared, Niall realises. Well not anymore, it's the aftermath of being scared. Niall knows a little more about that since the red moon. 

"Don't worry, he yelled at me, too."

Liam sits a little behind Louis, propped up against a tree with his right arm wrapped in a thick white bandage, clutching it to his chest. He looks a little pale and exhausted, but not as angry as Niall thought he would be.

"Shit, Liam..." Niall doesn't know what else to say. Saying _sorry_ doesn't really seem to cover it. 

"Yeah." Liam offers him a thin smile.

"How bad is it?" He looks at both of them, but it's Louis who answers.

"We're almost out of nectar. Took quite a bit to heal the worst. Liam had some serious third-degree burns all over his arm. It's mostly healed now but I think he'll keep that hand-shaped scar. He thinks it looks cool actually, even though it ruined his tattoo."

Niall can't help but chuckle at that. Liam grins.

"You were a little less lucky, Niall." Louis is _still_ dabbing at his face and Niall wonders why he doesn't stop. "Liam hit you right in the face. I think it damaged your brain a little. But you're okay now, mostly. You will keep that scar on your face."

Well, shit. Maybe that's why his face hurts so much. When Louis flips the camera of his phone and hands it to Niall he is nervous. He shifts his head around until he can see the gash on his cheekbone that rips its way down to his throat. It's red and it hurts but... it should be worse.

"It should be worse," he tells Louis. "Nectar is strong, but..."

"I had a little help." Louis nods to his other side, across the fire.

When Niall turns his head he almost screams. It's Aphrodite. But she looks nothing like she did when Harry ran. She had tried to look her best for him, in a floating dress that pooled around her ankles. Now she is wearing a lilac parker with a white scarf and sheepskin boots. Her hair is brown on one side and blond on the other, framing her beautiful face. She watches Niall over the rim of her coffee mug that has the words "love is in the air" written all over it. How she got coffee out here Niall doesn't know. Why is she here again?

"The pain will fade away soon," she explains. "The scar won't be so prominent anymore in a few months."

Niall slowly sits up, every single muscle in his body complaining at the effort. He feels like he's been struck by lightning. Obviously.

"What are you doing here?“ He means to sound offended on Harry's behalf, but somehow the sparkle in her green eyes and the softness of her cheeks make him sound like a lovestruck fool.

"Harry didn't want to see me. But I wasn't just here for him. I wanted to talk to you as well. I wanted to thank you for fixing him." She smiles at him.

"Oh," Niall says softly and his eyes dart over to Louis and Liam who seem a little jealous that she is here for him. 

Well, Niall can't deny that she makes him feel special. Perhaps she would take him with her? Show him Olympus? It would feel close enough to being a god. Niall knows that he could do it, that he was good enough, that he--

"Wait," Niall frowns and shakes his head. "It's not..."

He looks at Aphrodite, who has finally put down her mug and still smiles at him, with dimples just like Harry's, eyes a little darker than his. Niall's frown deepens and he pushes off his glasses to rub at his eyes before he looks at her again. She is a goddess and she glows, but this is not her only form, he can tell. There is something darker behind that lovely sheen, a desperate and possessive love. There is more, layers and layers of all different kinds of love, like friendship, family, the one that grows when you survive something together. _Harry and me_. The one that builds up slowly and you don't even realise it, until you hurt each other. _Liam and me_.

There is something infinite about her, like a sky that doesn't end, like sea foam that washes up at the shore of your own thoughts. Niall can see past it, he can see how scared she is, how arrogant, how needy and he doesn't like it. He doesn't like her. 

"I don't think you should be here," he finally settles on.

Aphrodite looks so surprised for a moment, her perfectly plucked eyebrows almost climbing into her hairline. She didn't expect it but she recovers quickly from it, putting on another charming smile. But it doesn't look as charming anymore.

"I helped you. I just want you to help me with my son."

"So he will talk to you again?"

"I'm not giving him up..."

Niall gapes at her. He is thinking about what to say next. _You've already given him up_ , but that wouldn't be enough. There is more boiling inside of him. He just doesn't know if he wants to give in or yell at her. He had been angry with Harry, for running from him, for leaving him behind. He could've grabbed Niall's hand to run with him, but he didn't. He chose to go alone. 

Niall ponders it for a moment, considers which feelings are stronger, the dark sense of anger and disappointment or the light feeling of love and understanding, the one that knows why Harry ran and blames no one but the goddess in front of him. It's rare that the gentleness inside of him wins so clearly, so easily, because he loves Harry – gods he loves him – and Niall will stand up for him, even if the world comes crashing down on his shoulders like it does for Atlas. Niall will carry it all and he realises then, that Harry didn't take everything with him. 

There's still a light that remembers Harry's voice, how he ties up his hair before he sinks to his knees, and the way Harry smiled at him before the smile turned horrified as water dripped out of his mouth like the awkward fool that he is. Those moments, they make the warmth spread into his toes and the tips of his fingers. Niall is warm, hot even, and he _knows_ that it will never stop, no matter how far Harry runs.

Niall rises gracefully, pain and everything else forgotten, to point an accusing finger at Aphrodite.

"No," he says.

Aphrodite stands as well, giving him an irritated look.

"You refuse me?"

"Yes, I fucking do." He might be burning, but his voice is made of ice.

Louis makes a scandalised noise while Liam shouts "don't talk to her like that!"

"Shut up!" Niall shouts back and they both flinch at the edge in his voice. 

They blink at him, at her and then at each other. Her glamour seems to wear off. Niall turns on the goddess again.

"You said you wanted to thank me for fixing him. I didn't fix him." He doesn't know why it is so easy to yell at her but he is trying not to question it. "There's nothing to _fix_. He has to heal and that takes more than me loving him and fucking his brains out on a regular basis. This fucking hole in his heart, yeah? That's your doing. You're the one who was supposed to fill it. You were the _only_ one who could. But that ship has sailed a long time ago. The gods may not think about time because they're immortal. But to us time means something. You're too late."

Aphrodite looks furious, parting her delicate lips and pressing fingertips against her cheek.

( _How dare he, she thinks. She is a goddess, she is ancient. She is older than Zeus himself and she will be here even when all the other gods have faded, because love is something universal, something that lasts through everything. She's been called many names and she is ever-present, visiting a thousand places in the same moment. Yet here stands a mere demigod, shining almost as bright as his father, staring her down until she feels trapped in her own skin. She hisses when her face is hit by a wave of heat, raising one hand to touch her tender skin. She has been burnt and she decides she_ doesn't _like it._ )

"The gods can't be too involved," she hisses through her teeth. "There are reasons why I stayed away. But still, I cannot give up on him."

Niall is unimpressed and he knows it shows on his face. He shrugs. "As you can see, your way isn't really working. If you want to get close to him it has to be on his terms, not yours. Whatever you do has to be for _him_ , not for _you_."

Aphrodite raises her chin and looks Niall up and down. There is nothing left of her charm and Niall is not sure whether it is because she stopped trying or because he is immune, now that he saw her true face. (It is old and beautifully wrinkled, like the kind mother one associates with Hera. But now she has to act like it.)

"My son loves you," Aphrodite finally says. "That is why I'll let you get away with your insolence, for now."

She doesn't let him speak again, she vanishes in another puff of smoke and all three of them are coughing and flapping their hands around.

"Oh my gods," Louis says when they can finally see again and he practically jumps at Niall. "That was ridiculously amazing! Did you see her face? I thought we were gonna die!"

Niall can't help but smile at Louis, and Liam. But then he remembers what happened earlier and his smile vanishes.

"Liam," he says. "I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm _so_ sorry."

Louis still has one arm slung around Niall's neck and Liam just keeps smiling, bumping a fist against his shoulder.

"Hey, all good. We're still alive. I know it's hard when your boyfriend runs away from you. I understand, believe me, I do." There's a flicker of pain flashing over his face, but it's gone just as quickly. 

Liam, always so under control, never letting things go. The strong leader who refuses to show weakness. Niall wonders when he will break. It hits Niall then and he drags one hand over his face until it's covering his mouth. 

"Fuck," he chokes on the tears that are spilling out of his eyes. "Harry's gone. He's fucking gone and he's not coming back."

Louis gasps and pulls him into a one-armed hug.

"Stop that right now, Niall. You don't know that."

" _A son of love is on a run_ ," Niall recites. "If he was just taking a stroll it wouldn't be mentioned in a prophecy."

He feels Liam's hand coming up to rest between his shoulder blades while Niall's head lies on Louis shoulders, arms dangling by his side in defeat.

"Come on, Niall. We're still a team. If he doesn't come back we'll go and look for him."

"And if he doesn't want to be found?" Niall mumbles miserably.

"Please" Liam snorts. "He's as sublte as a lamp post."

Niall cracks a smile, images of Harry playing hide and seek with the little ones coming back to him. He lost, every time. 

"Fine... Fine, I'll... fine. It's just been a rough day, can we rest for a bit?"

"Sure," Louis says and finally lets him go.

When Niall turns around to look at Liam it is awkwardly silent for a second. They examine each other's battle scars with their eyes, Niall still feeling the harsh sting in his cheek.

"Man, I really didn't think _when thunder meets the sun_ would be that... literal," Niall sighs.

Liam shrugs. "Maybe that's why it happened exactly like this. We always overanalyse shit, don't we?."

"Probably," Niall says and they both burst into laugther. It feels good and he doesn't even remember why he has been so angry, why he wanted to hurt Liam in that moment. It all seems minor now.

"Come on, lads."

Louis and Liam pull Niall down to sit between them, shoulders pressed against theirs so casually, welcoming, like they are used to it. But Niall still feels like he's invading something, like he's taking someone else's seat. It feels wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and we hope you liked it! <3 Kudos and comments are still appreciated!
> 
> We also don't want to hide from you how beautiful Harry's pocket knife looks:
> 
>  


	4. Chapter 4

Harry runs so far for so long that he couldn't find his way back even if he wanted to. Right now he just wants to be as far away from everything as possible. He wants to forget the look on the others' faces when Aphrodite had appeared. Of course they were all charmed by her but it made him so angry when even Niall couldn't look away. Niall is supposed to be better than that. Niall is... probably not the god Harry wants him to be. But none of the gods are flawless, as everyone knows.

Harry is still running when someone in a car offers to take him away from Las Vegas. He doesn't have anything with him, all his bags are still at the camp where they had left them to investigate the city. So he has to take whatever people are willing to give. And he is back with his old game, the one he had mastered a long time ago. When he smiles, they give him whatever he wants. It always worked, until Niall came along.

Harry wonders if he finally fucked it all up. He isn't angry with Niall, he is just... angry. Aphrodite brought back so many things, so much old rage and sadness that he felt like his heart was going to explode. And Niall didn't help. He didn't help at all. Maybe he _is_ angry with him after all.

Harry is still running when the swallows on his chest come alive, peeling away from his skin to spread their wings and fly ahead. He didn't call for them and they don't listen when he orders them to return to ink.

"Seriously?" He asks them. They don't answer. 

Well, it's not like he has anywhere else to go. He is just running away, so he might as well follow those stupid birds that suddenly decide to turn against him. 

"Traitors." He scowls at them, but they still don't answer, they just lead him to where the sun is starting to set.

*

Niall notices it when they wake up a few days later. It's warm, and not just for him, Louis takes off his jacket with a disgusted noise and his shirt is completely soaked with sweat. Liam doesn't feel any better as he unwraps the scarf from his neck.

"What the fuck?" Louis quickly changes into a dry shirt. "What does that mean?"

"It means we're running out of time." Liam wipes a hand over his forehead. "I think Demeter is starting to get pissed off."

" _Winter shall burn_ ," Niall mutters. "Fuck, you're right. We really need to find the cornucopia and we need to find Zayn."

They quickly gather their things and jam them into the car before they climb inside. Niall takes the back seat with a lump in his throat because usually he sits behind Harry and he likes to annoy him by pushing his knee into the back of the seat or by tugging at his hair.

("Shotgun," Harry had yelled so he could claim the front seat. Niall was irritated at first because he'd assumed they would sit together. But then a grin spread over his lips and he sneaked an arm around Harry's waist, pulling him back so he could whisper in his ear. "You want to sit in the front? No back seat handjobs for you then?" And Harry had turned around with an alarmed gasp. He hadn't thought of that. "Shit." He turned to Louis. "Uhm, Louis? I feel a little generous today. You can sit next to your boyfriend." He used his syrupy smile, but this was Louis, son of Hermes, he knew when he was played with. Louis squinted at him for a moment, eyes flickering to Niall and then back to Harry. He smirked. "Nah, thanks Harry. I'd like to cuddle with Nialler today." Harry stared out of the window and pouted all day while Niall and Louis sniggered in the back)

So he expects to sit alone, with Louis in front of him, but then he feels the boy press his shoulder against Niall's. He blinks and Louis beams at him.

"What are you doing?," Niall murmurs.

Louis shrugs. "You're way more fun than Liam."

"Oi!" Liam frowns at them through the mirror.

"Still love you, babe."

"You better."

*

It is weird. It is very weird. Zayn stares at Harry and Harry stares right back at him.

"Well, this is awkward," Zayn says, scratching the back of his neck.

"You could say that." Harry clears his throat when the swallows finally settle down on his skin again.

"I see that they are still useful."

"You could say that," Harry repeats and wipes the sweat from his nose.

It's fucking hot. It's hot and he's standing somewhere in Death Valley, with Zayn, who looks ridiculously good and healthy. Happy, almost. Harry on the other hand isn't happy at all and looks like he spent the last few days in a dumpster. He definitely smells like it and it's not very easy to charm people that way.

"So..." Zayn looks him up and down. "You need a shower?"

"Oh gods," Harry moans. "Yes, please."

*

Liam touches Zayn's tag on the wall and sucks in a sharp breath.

"What is it?" Niall looks at him and then at his hand when it comes away with yellow paint.

"It's still wet."

They're all silent for a moment.

"You know what that means, Liam." Louis shoves both hands into his pockets, shoulders tense.

"Yeah. California." Liam rubs the paint between thumb and forefinger, looking at it with a hurt expression.

"Can you _please_ tell me what's the deal with California?" Niall can't take this anymore.

"You'll see," is all that Liam tells him. Niall is not happy.

Later that day they are being chased by hellhounds and never before Niall has wished that hard for a Hades kid on their team. The hellhounds spilled from the shadows like insects and got a good hold of Liam's trouser leg before they managed to run off. Now they are looking for a wide area because there is no way they're going to fight hellhounds in a shadowy back alley. Niall misses one with his arrow, but only because it's melting into a wall.

The mist shields them from the mortals who run away when one of the hellhounds jumps at Liam, trying to bite off his arm. It's the arm that isn't wrapped in a bandage anymore, tattoos teared apart by a tender looking hand-shaped scar. Niall feels guilty every time he sees it but he can't shoot an arrow when they're rolling around like that. He can't help.

"Louis?" Niall looks for him but he's rooted to the spot, breathing heavily. "Louis!"

"I..."

Liam finally manages to pierce the hellhound's brain with one of his daggers, a crack of thunder splitting the beast open. Another one manages to throw Louis off his feet and Niall shoots it down before it can sink its teeth into him. Then there is silence. The whole square is empty except for them, the bodies of the hellhounds slowly fading away to reform in Tartarus. Before Niall can say anything, Liam sheathes his actual dagger and throws daggers with his eyes instead.

"What the fuck was that, Louis?"

Louis scoffs. Niall has never seen them being angry with each other.

"It sucks! I just want to go home, I wasn't born to die in some gutter."

"Nobody is," Liam finally snaps, patience thinner than paper. "But I need your help, Louis. I need you. Please."

Louis downcasts his eyes and slowly gets to his feet again, brushing the dust off his jeans. "Don't have to ask. You know that," he mutters.

With a sigh Liam pulls him closer, pressing a kiss against his forehead and whispering something inaudible to Niall. They depend on each other, that much is clear. And they are looking for something, like everybody else. But it's also a dependency, one that people gratefully accept so that they're not alone. Niall feels that need too and he always depended on someone to keep him grounded, so he wouldn't lash out, wouldn't become a wrathful god. In the beginning it had been Zayn, then it was Harry. And the minute he was alone he had almost killed a dear friend. 

That cannot happen again. Niall knows then, that he needs to stop relying on other people. He can't expect them to keep him human, keep him mortal. He needs to be his own anchor. Still, it hurts to see Louis and Liam like that, because Niall realises just how much he misses Harry. 

*

"Thank you." Harry slips into one of Zayn's shirts and a pair of jeans, both a little too tight. Niall would probably like it. He'd slide his fingers over the stretched fabric and mutter into his ear. 

"Don't mention it." Zayn leans against the table with his arms crossed over his chest while Harry uses his fingers to comb through his wet hair. The heat will dry them soon. It has become awfully warm in the last few days, even for a desert.

"So, what is this place?"

"Scotty's castle. The Death Valley Ranch." Zayn shrugs. "They let me stay here when there are no tours. I can be charming too, you know? And I love the desert. It's quiet and you can try new forms of art. I like it here."

Death Valley Ranch... Harry remembers hearing about it. It all looks very old, like a revival of spanish colonial times. It's probably supposed to be this way. That's why the shower wasn't really a shower. But at least Harry feels clean again. He slumps down on one of the sofas, looking around and marveling at how spacious everything is. Harry wouldn't mind living here.

"It's nice."

Zayn snorts. "Yeah, it's 'nice'. Will you tell me now what you're doing here?"

Harry blinks. It's not like he has forgotten. He just hadn't thought about it since he got here. Everything here seems like it is out of their world. The prophecy, the boys, everything seems so far away. No wonder Zayn likes it here. He sits down next to Harry, leaving a generous amount of space. Seriously, two people could fit between them. Harry carefully checks if he still smells.

"Uhm." Harry fiddles with the hem of his shirt. "Maybe I'm supposed to be on a quest and maybe I ran away? I didn't find you on purpose but it was definitely part of the prophecy."

Zayn raises both of his eyebrows in surprise.

"A prophecy? What prophecy?"

Why does he have to ask Harry? Liam is the one who remembers shit like that.

"Ugh... something about Demeter. It's her fault that the weather is fucked up. Then there was something about a son of love is on the run, haha, that would be me! Uh and... Four heroes leave, yet five must return? That must be you. But, the important bit is Demeter's cornucopia, because it's missing and she needs it back. Not that you're _not_ important, you're important to many people! In fact, none of them ever shut up about you, it's really annoying."

When he looks up Zayn has his lips pressed together but Harry knows it's him trying to suppress a smile. He has his elbow propped up on the backrest, head resting on his hand and just looks at Harry.

"What?"

Zayn shakes his head. "You changed."

Harry scowls. " _You_ changed. What's that with you growing your hair out all sexy like that? Are you trying to outshine me?"

Zayn snorts. "Please, Harry. I've always been prettier than you."

Harry fakes a gasp. "Blasphemy."

They grin at each other for a moment, until Harry remembers that they're technically not friends anymore. Zayn seems to remember it too because he looks away to fill a glass of water for Harry.

"Thanks," he mumbles when Zayn hands it to him.

"So... that prophecy." He looks a little nervous. "Sounds quite dramatic."

"Pretty dramatic, if you ask me. But we haven't done anything about it yet, we were just looking for you. So much driving, hunting down your tags."

Zayn swallows. "Niall is with you then?"

Harry nods. "Yeah, it's the two of us plus Liam and Louis."

"Shit." He drags a hand over his face and leans back. "I don't think I'm ready."

Harry watches him carefully. "There was something going on between the three of you." It's not a question.

"You could say that." Zayn says it exactly the way Harry did earlier and it makes him smile. "You know the rumours. You always know everything about everyone, you like the gossip."

"I listen to it, but that doesn't mean I believe everything I hear. I know it got bad. Just didn't think it was the reason you left."

"It was. They called me names, said I was wrecking relationships even though I didn't. Gossip isn't always fun, you know? I loved them. Both of them. Even though they cheated on each other with me in the beginning, it never was like that, we... It wasn't like that." He looks a little bitter and Harry feels like he should put a hand on his shoulder or something. He doesn't. "They figured it out and it was good, _we_ were really good. Until I realised everyone else was right. I robbed them of a normal life, you know? There are still things people can't wrap their minds around. Three people in a relationship is definitely one of them. But I can't be like that, Harry. I'm not made just for one person, I'm really not. They're better off without me, without people talking behind their backs."

"They're not." Harry frowns. 

Zayn turns his head around. "You don't know that."

"Son of Aphrodite here, remember? I can feel shit like that. They're not better off without you. They're always rolling around in their sleeping bags like there's a body missing between them. They looked so sad every time we found another of your tags and it turned out to be a dead end. It was a little disgusting to be honest. When Tess said we had to look for you Louis _jumped_ , quite high I might add, even without his bloody feather shoes."

When Harry looks at him Zayn doesn't cry but he looks like he is about to. He misses them too, obviously. People can be so stubborn and stupid, like those girls and boys in the movies that pine after one another instead of talking to each other and you just want to smash their heads together. Hopefully, Harry will get a chance to do just that.

"What did Niall say?" Zayn's eyes are fixed on his own hands. He picks at the paint under his fingernails.

"You know Niall, he deals with it in his own way."

"Yeah, I know." Zayn looks back at him then. "You love him, don't you?"

"Yes." He doesn't hesitate.

"And he loves you?"

A pause. "Yes." At least he hopes so. He doesn't know if Niall still loves him after this.

Zayn chuckles a little and shakes his head with an almost fond expression.

"I didn't expect that, actually. I knew his plan. That's why it was so hard to see you like that with each other on that night I went back to camp. Looks like both of your little games backfired, huh?"

"Yeah you could say that." Harry grins.

"And I'm sorry about what I said. It was just hard seeing you both..." Zayn swallows hard. "Yeah. I didn't mean it. I kinda miss you. But I had to make it clear I wasn't gonna be another one of your conquests."

Harry nods. "I'm sorry. I really am. It was just habit, you know?"

"A habit you've grown out of."

Harry mutters. "A habit I've been _dragged_ out of." By his heartstrings, by Niall.

"Guess there's no reason why we can't be like before then."

"Not before," Harry says and Zayn glances at him with his eyebrows raised. "Better."

Zayn rolls his eyes but inches closer so he can punch Harry's shoulder. "I knew Niall would bring out the sap in you."

Harry rubs his arm but smiles, feeling fuzzy inside. It is good to have Zayn back. He hadn't realised until how much he missed their banter. Harry wishes he had his camera with him to take some pictures of the place and of Zayn, just to capture the moment. Zayn has his own divine beauty and it is similar to Niall's but at the same time it's completely different. Compared to Niall everything else is a pale imitation, doesn't matter whether he smiles or frowns. Harry absently trails his fingers over his arm that is covered by the shirtsleeve. There are still words written on his skin with one of Liam's pens. "Beautiful" and "mine". Harry had tried not to let the water wash it away. It's bad enough that the bruises on his neck and collarbone are already fading. Niall is fading. He doesn't like that at all.

"You alright?" Zayn's brows are knitted together.

"Uhm. Yeah. I'm alright." He was, for a few moments.

"Okay... Do you want to go rest a little? We can talk about everything else later."

That's when Harry feels something prickling in his neck and his head snaps around. There it is again, that feeling of being watched.

"Seriously?" He hisses and rises to his feet. "I already know it was you, I'm not stupid! Come out!"

"Harry?" Zayn looks confused.

At least until there is smoke that fades dramatically to reveal a goddess. Aphrodite looks a little different, wearing normal clothes instead of her olympian dress. Just a pair of soft jeans and a large shirt that hangs over one shoulder. Her hair is a little messy but her makeup is perfect. She smiles at Harry, a perfect smile of course. Perfectly fake. Zayn openly gapes at her.

"You want to see me now?" She asks carefully.

"Seems like you're leaving me no choice."

"That wasn't my intention."

"Oh, really? You were the one who led me here, who messed with my tattoos, weren't you?"

Aphrodite doesn't say anything and that answers enough. Harry doesn't feel as angry as he had felt that night and he doesn't know why. Perhaps because he is a little bit more prepared and it's just Zayn by his side, not _everyone_. Zayn, who doesn't even blink and _that_ pisses Harry off. He snaps his fingers in front of Zayn's face.

"The fuck, Zayn?"

He squeezes his eyes shut then and rubs at them with the knuckles of his right hand. "What?"

"It's just Aphrodite, keep yourself together, will you?" He shoves at him.

"Dammit, Harry."

But Harry ignores him then and looks back at the goddess who still watches them. 

"What do you want?"

"The same thing I wanted last time. I want to talk to my son."

"Convenient, isn't it? That you can decide when I'm your son and when I'm not."

Aphrodite frowns at him. "You've always been my son, even when I wasn't there."

"Doesn't mean you were my mother. Parents aren't supposed to be absent, aren't supposed to--" He can't say it. He can't. The memory of his mortal mother hurts, the way she looked at him, like it was his fault that she was alone, stuck with him, stuck with her life. He had only been five years old. "Where were you when I wished myself dead?" He adds quietly.

Tears are filling her eyes now, making her beautiful face soft and tender. Harry is not impressed.

"I made mistakes. I know that. I won't repeat them."

"But the damage is already done."

"I know. That's why... I'm not mortal, Harry. I didn't think I could be the one to fix you."

"Are you serious right now? You were my _mother_. Who else could've done it?"

She seems to swallow down the tears, her eyes hardening a little bit. "I see that now. He has been right... I suppose."

Harry squints at her. "Who?"

"Your... boyfriend." She looks just that right amount of disgusted. "He gave me quite the lecture on your behalf. He shouted at me and told me just how much I've done wrong. That whatever I do has to be on your terms, not mine. He was rude. _Very_ rude."

A thrill shoots down Harry's spine, his breath quickening. Aphrodite hates Niall. She _hates_ him and, frankly, that's what does it for him. Harry will never love anyone but Niall ever again. Only Niall. Niall, Niall, Niall. Harry wishes he was here right now so he can kiss him senseless and go down on him. Only Niall would yell at a goddess and stand up for someone like Harry. Gods, he is _so in love_.

"No need to be so happy about it," Zayn mutters at his side.

But Harry can't help the grin that is plastered to his face. Aphrodite's frown deepens and that only makes Harry beam harder. 

"Well," he finally says. "Niall is quite right about that. Niall is very smart."

"He is more than that," Aphrodite says and touches her own cheek with the tips of her fingers. "I don't like him."

"What a shame," Harry sings.

Aphrodite's eyes fall on Zayn then, who straightens his shoulders immediately. Harry can see that he's trying to fight the charming thing the goddess has going on.

"You are the one who abandoned him." She looks him up and down. "You have a habit of that, do you not?"

Zayn raises an eyebrow. 

"With all due respect, ma'am, he tried to kiss me."

"There are many forms of love, all unique and equally important. Friendship might even be the strongest. I was rooting for you," she tells him sadly. 

"Then you were rooting for the wrong son of Apollo."

Harry kinda wants to kiss Zayn again right now. But that's not what this visit is about.

"Enough of that. What do you _want_? We talked, now what?"

"I wanted a chance to explain--"

"Explain what?"

"What you mean to me."

Harry pauses and then takes a step back, hitting the couch with his legs. "You don't even know me."

"Harry, _I_ was the one who carried you." And... he definitely didn't know that. "You grew inside me for months and I loved every moment of it. You were wild and trying to fight your way out as soon as you could kick. You were supposed to be a twin, but you wouldn't have any of that. You wanted everything for yourself. You've always felt everything so strongly and fiercely like there are two souls inside of you and I _know_ that hasn't changed."

"I feel sick," Harry whispers and it's Zayn who puts a hand on his shoulder. 

"I didn't think your mother would treat you like that and I know you haven't been happy with me. I know you wished for Poseidon to be your father, he told me about it. He felt your prayers, your offerings and he said his heart was aching for you."

Harry's breath catches in his throat, recalling how broken he had felt when he realised that the seashell in his hair was missing.

"But you're _my_ son. The seashell in your hair, it's not just a symbol of Poseidon, it's mine too. Just as the swallows on your body. You are a part of me, even though you don't want to be."

"Stop it."

"Whatever you think of me, Harry, I lo--"

"I said _stop it_!" Harry feels his whole body shaking with the effort to stand and a second hand joins the first, steadying him. "Do you... Do you know why I wanted it to be him? I would've forgiven him, them, anyone but you. I can't forgive the fucking _goddess of love_. You should've known better."

There is a longer silence this time and Aphrodite has her hands clasped together, looking at least a little guilty. 

"I'm sorry," she says, _finally_.

Harry nods. "Everything is said then."

Her gaze is full of sorrow and longing and Harry can't take it anymore. "I will leave," she says before Harry can speak again. "For now?"

Harry nods again. He waits until she is gone, until the smoke has settled, until he can't feel her presence anymore, before he slumps to the ground and Zayn sinks down right next to him, hands still on his shoulders.

"You okay?" He whispers.

Harry shakes his head.

*

For as long as Zayn can remember he always wanted more in a relationship. It's not like he is particularly greedy, it is just that he has so much room in his heart, so much love inside of him, that it's enough for more than one person. The first time he told that to a girl she had hit him and called him names. They were both young so Zayn didn't dwell much on it. Until it happened again. He never understood why it was so hard for them to understand. You can love more than one friend, more than one family member. Why can't the same thing be true for romantic love? No one ever answered him. That's when he started to be more careful and drowned in the arts instead.

Zayn has such a vast love and appreciation for all kinds of art. His love is fathomless, bottomless, in all ways. From sketching, to embroidery to sculpting, he has an eye unclouded of judgement and a head and heart open to every and all interpretation and inspiration of art. It is his passion and his life, not just appreciating all art forms he discovers but in every single piece of work he pours his soul into.

"It's so beautiful, Zee." Niall touches the sculpture with light fingers, even though it's already hardened and can't be altered anymore. 

But when Niall isn't giving in to his darker thoughts he shines bright like the sun with a spark of wonder in his eyes and parted lips. He marvels at whatever Zayn does and he wants to be worthy of Niall's love that is so pure and untainted, even in its darkest moments. Purity doesn't mean flawless. It is like a rough gem, unpolished and unaltered, a pure form. Zayn knows how to turn things like that into art. It's his life. But he doesn't dare to touch Niall and turn him into something else. He would be the masterpiece that Zayn is too scared to create. They could wreck the whole world together, but even Zayn knows that it would wreck them too. They're brothers and Niall is the only person he can't ever bear to lose. 

Until he meets Louis and Liam. They are so different, yet so perfect for each other and Zayn wants nothing more than to be the rope that binds them together. Liam is always watching and Louis is always calculating, it is hard to approach them. He doesn't even know how he ends up with his tongue down Louis throat, but he enjoys it, just like he enjoys sucking Liam off under the table. He probably should've talked to them about it first but at that point Zayn wasn't in love with them yet.

"It's just a little bit of fun," Zayn moans against Louis lips with a hand down his pants. 

"Okay," Louis whispers back.

Zayn stays that night, even after they both came, and they talk and they joke and maybe, _perhaps_ , Zayn is a little bit in love with him. But he sees the way Louis hurts himself over what he did. Zayn can't stop. 

"It's just a little bit of fun," he says with a smile and Liam smiles back, guiding Zayn's head back to his cock.

"Okay," Liam says with a shaky breath.

He doesn't know that he loves them until the day Louis and Liam are yelling at each other. It hurts his heart to see them that way. He wants to pull them into his arms and apologise but he knows they must hate him right now, for ruining things.

Only they don't. Whenever he walks past one of them they stop and turn their heads and they look sad. Zayn can't breathe, can't speak, can't stop himself from wanting them. And then later that night they drag him from the cabin and pin him against a wall.

"I'm sorry," Zayn chokes out and averts his eyes, waiting for the blow.

"And what exactly are you sorry for?" Liam asks, his voice sounds firm but not hard. 

Zayn swallows. "For what happened."

"What do you think happened, Zayn?" Liam is the one who has both hands against Zayn's shoulders, who provides just enough pressure so he won't be able to run. But it's Louis who touches his cheek with warm fingers and then slides them beneath his chin to lift his head.

"I made you do something that you regret."

Louis makes a weird noise in his throat, like the wrong answer sound effect in a gaming show.

"Try again."

They're both smiling at him now and Zayn is confused.

"I don't know. I don't know what I did."

"Well, I do." Liam's mouth is so close suddenly. "You made us realise that we weren't complete yet."

Liam kisses him, Louis kisses him and Zayn kisses them back, feeling like an old spark in the deepest chamber of his heart is rekindled and setting him on fire. _Finally_ he thinks. Even though he knows that it won't last. They're not happy that he wants to keep their relationship a secret but they respect it. _It will be easier then, after it ends_ , Zayn thinks.

He doesn't even tell Niall and he feels awful about it. Niall tells him everything, the things that make him cry, the things that make him laugh and even the things no one else knows. He should tell Niall because he trusts him, but he doesn't. Niall burdens himself enough already, he doesn't need Zayn's drama too. Zayn manages everything just fine, until the rumours start again.

 _Homewrecker_.

It's when Zayn runs and doesn't look back. 

"You're going then?" Tess looks at him with a frown on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. She is smaller than him but Zayn is still afraid of her. Always has been, a little.

"Yeah," he croaks.

"You're an idiot."

"You know?"

"I know everything, especially who is fucking who. I like to stay updated on things like that."

Zayn sighs. "Tess--"

"They love you, you know?" She pulls off her glasses and offers them to him. They're the same as Niall's. Niall... leaving him behind will be the hardest. "Take them, because I think you're blind if you don't see it."

"They shouldn't love me. They have each other, that's enough."

He doesn't wait for an answer, he leaves. Because Zayn knows that he's not worth the trouble.

*

"Zayn..." Louis sounds broken.

"Hey," Zayn says with a small smile.

Niall doesn't know where to look. Zayn is here. Zayn and _Harry_. Harry, who looks really fucking nervous and bites at his lips. Zayn, whose hair is grown out on top so it falls into his eyes and tickles his cheek. Niall feels a little sting in his chest because it hurts to look at his brother. Niall never really cared about his appearance, never really thought about it because he was still loved by people, even when he didn't play his game. But out of the two of them, Zayn has always been the beautiful one.

Niall closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, pushing up his glasses in the process, before he looks at Harry again who suddenly turns pale, gaze drifting to the left side of Niall's cheek. Ah. The scar. It doesn't hurt anymore but he still winces at the look on Harry's face. Before he can take a step forward, before any of the two can say anything, Liam dashes forward and crushes Zayn in a hug. It's not just a normal hug, he bends his knees as he wraps his arms around his middle and then straightens up again until Zayn's feet lift off the ground. Zayn yelps, holding on to Liam's shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

"What were _you_ doing?" Liam asks after he puts Zayn down again, hands lingering on his waist. "I thought... California was our plan. You promised."

Zayn's gaze drops to his shoes. "I know."

Louis takes a step forward, only a small one. "We're here to get you home, Zayn."

Zayn looks over Liam's shoulder. "I know... I know but--"

"No buts this time." Liam tightens his grip and... oh. Niall finally catches up with what is happening here. Of course he was kept in the dark again. But perhaphs that's alright. None of it is about him, even when it is. "We won't let you walk away from us again."

"Liam." Zayn sounds like he's in pain. "I just want you both to be happy. You deserve more than the gossip, the rumours, the--"

"Gods, Zayn," Liam sobs and rests a warm hand on the back of Zayn's neck, presses their foreheads together. "You have no idea how much you mean to us, do you? We wanna spend every single day showing you how you make us feel. Fuck everything else."

Zayn is wide-eyed, frozen in place in Liam's embrace. Louis stumbles over and plasters himself to Zayn's back and together they hold him. Like ice melting, Zayn's face crumbles and his knees buckle but Liam and Louis are right there to catch and steady him. Zayn clutches at Liam with one arm and throws the other behind him to desperately grab at Louis.

Niall has to look away. Harry can't _stop_ looking.

But Niall knows that it's their cue to leave them alone and he hopes Harry isn't too wrapped up in the scene and follows him. Niall leaves for the stairs, even though he doesn't know where they lead, when two arms wrap around him from behind and a pair of lips presses against his ear.

"Who hurt you, Niall?" He sounds angry and concerned at the same time.

Niall drops the bag he was carrying to put his hands on Harry's arm and twist out of the embrace. He tries to ignore the hurt expression on Harry's face.

"Doesn't matter, it was my own fault. Listen, did Zayn give you a room or something?"

Harry nods and grabs Niall's bag before he leads Niall into a different corridor, away from the stairs. It's a small room without any windows and there is actually a _rope_ they have to climb over in order to get in. There's also a narrow bed with scratchy looking blankets and everything is quite... folksy.

"You slept here?"

Harry nods and drops Niall's things on the table before he steps closer, carefully reaching out with his hand. He is careful because Niall has refused him just moments ago. Niall doesn't know why he did it. He hadn't been angry with Harry ever since he fought with Liam. He knows why Harry ran and he'd wanted nothing more than to have him back in his arms. But seeing him here, so unconcerned about everything, with _Zayn_ , it makes him furious. He tries to fight down the feeling and lets Harry's fingers touch the front of his shirt. They're testing the battleground, nudging at him before they climb upwards over Niall's collarbone and cup his cheek.

"I missed you," Harry whispers.

"Did you?" Niall doesn't mean to sound so sharp. Harry's hand, his face, his shoulders, they all fall. "Fuck, that's not what I meant."

He grabs Harry by the hand and pulls him into a rough hug, face pressed into his neck.

"I missed you too. And fuck you for running away from me, okay? I get it but--"

"I'm sorry." Harry's voice is so small. He pulls away from the hug. "But it was too much. _She_ was too much."

"But you didn't have to leave. Gods, I was there for you."

"You can't always be there, Niall. It doesn't work like that."

Harry is frustrated, Niall can see it, the way he rubs over his face with both hands and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. 

"Harry," Niall sighs. "It's okay."

He wants to take it back when Harry's body goes rigid and he scowls at Niall in a way he never has before. No, that is not true. The night when Aphrodite had appeared and Niall said _It's okay_ Harry had yelled at him. And now he looks like he's about to again.

"Stop saying that. _Stop saying that_ , Niall. It's still not okay, nothing about this is!"

Niall doesn't know why all other words are failing him, but he has to make Harry understand that it is, that it will be, that it's okay because Harry is still here and he's doing so well. 

"I'm not saying it to upset you, Harry. I just want you to see--"

"No, fuck no. You don't understand! You still have your mother, you even have your dad. One mother hated me and the other abandoned me, I'm alone, no one wanted me!"

Harry huffs then and turns away, flopping down on the bed with his back turned to Niall. _Beautiful drama queen._

"I know that you _can't_ understand but _please_ stop giving me those empty phrases, I can't deal with that."

Shit. Niall fucked up. He knows it and that means his next words have to be picked carefully. They can't just go back and forth like that. Harry doesn't like being lectured and he doesn't like being given orders (well, at least not in this), so Niall will _ask_ instead.

"What about Mr. D?"

"What the fuck do you mean," Harry grumbles into the pillow.

Niall slowly sits down on the edge of the bed and Harry reluctantly moves his feet away to make room for him. He doesn't hate Niall completely then.

"You once told me that you loved him. Even though you didn't tell me everything, everyone knows that you've been in Dionysus' care for as long as you've been in camp. Fifteen years is a long time, Harry. You love him, he's your family, isn't he? Family isn't all about blood. Family can be a choice, just like everything else. We talked about choices, Harry."

Harry doesn't say anything for a long while. He sniffs into his pillow, mumbles a few things that Niall can't hear. Then he slowly turns on his back to meet Niall's eyes and there are still tears in his. Niall wants to wipe them away but Harry is still tense.

"Doesn't change the fact that I was left behind by those who gave birth to me."

"No, it doesn't." Niall gently places his hand on Harry's ankle, waiting for Harry to pull away. He doesn't. "But you know what that also means? It means that a complete stranger who has no blood relation with you whatsoever decided to take you in and love you like your parents should have. Just because they failed doesn't mean you can't have a family, Harry."

"Fuck." He starts to cry again and this time Niall allows himself to move closer and let his hand smooth over Harry's heart.

"I meant what I said back in camp, Harry. I want you to meet my family. I want you to be _part_ of it and I want you to have them like I have them."

Harry's breath hitches and suddenly Niall is being pulled down into a fierce hug, strong limbs looping themselves around Niall so that he lies between his legs. Harry buries his face in Niall's neck. 

"I'm sorry."

Niall smiles. "It's okay."

At least now Harry chuckles at his choice of words and when his head falls back on the bed Niall realises how soft and floppy his hair is. It's probably the weather that makes it look so messy, so good.

"I'm sorry I put a damper on things," Harry murmurs. 

"Well, so did I. Can I kiss you now?"

Harry doesn't even answer, he just licks his lips in anticipation and Niall presses in, covering his warm and wet mouth. Gods, he has missed him, missed this. So much, _too much_. But it isn't desperate, it's soft and they melt against each other, sighing in unison. They stay that way, kissing slowly, tongues lazily sliding together, almost like they are relearning everything about each other after being apart for so long.

"Will you tell me now what happened?" Harry asks when they pull apart, both a little out of breath.

"What do you mean?" Harry trails a finger over the scar on his face. "Oh... I lost a bit of my temper. The line of the prophecy: When thunder meets the sun? Well, that was Liam and me. But we're both fine, mostly."

"Shit. But, just so you know, that scar makes you even hotter now."

He pushes himself up on his elbows and Niall feels the hot tip of his tongue licking up its way from his throat up to his cheek where the scar ends. Niall tries not to get hard just from this but he absolutely does and it's not helping that he's still bracketed by Harry's thighs. He mumbles a quiet curse and then quickly drags the shirt over Harry's head so he can lick all over his skin. It's not that easy, the shirt is very tight and then Niall realises that it's not Harry's at all. Fuck it's _Zayn's_ and that shouldn't be so hot but it _is_. No wonder Harry had looked so sinful in them. They're too small and fit him like a second skin.

When Harry is finally free and lies back again, hands already going for the hem of Niall's shirt, he stops him.

"What is it?" Harry whines.

Niall can see his own handwriting on Harry's arm, his skin, where he put it days ago, before Harry ran. It's a little smudgy but still legible. He pauses.

"Did you try to keep these while you showered?" Niall trails a finger over the words. _Beautiful. Mine._

Harry doesn't even have to look, he just nods. Niall crumbles.

"Gods, Harry. You're so good, you know that? You're beautiful and everything and you're mine. I wish I could be everything for you too, I wish I was enough to fill that stupid hole your mums left behind, even though I know I can't. I just want you to be so happy. With me, preferably." He feels that dangerous heat seethe inside his body. "I want to be selfless and gentle and leave you a choice but it's really hard. I want it to be me."

"Fuck, Niall." Harry drags their foreheads together. "It _is_ you."

Niall licks over his teeth and nods. "Good."

But when he presses in for a kiss, Harry tugs a little at his hair to stop him.

"No, I really need to say it. It will always be you, okay? Fuck, you turned everything around and I know I've been complaining about it but it's _so good_. You offer me a family and who even says shit like that? It's so cheesy, I love it. Also, you yelled at my mother."

Niall's eyes widen. "What? How do you know?"

"She came here."

" _What?_ " He doesn't know what his face looks like but Harry is grinning even wider.

"Yeah, she tried to talk to me again and it wasn't as bad the second time around. She said you gave her a tongue lashing and that you were _very_ rude to her."

Niall flushes a little. "Yeah, well... perhaps I was. But she was rude first."

Harry laughs and Niall basks in that sound.

"Fuck, I wish I'd been there. Bet you looked all hot like a proper god."

"Harry," he hisses.

" _Everything bows to the sun_ ," Harry purrs and brushes his lips over Niall's, waiting for him to snap and claim Harry's mouth.

There are noises outside that distract Niall for a moment but Harry remains unconcerned, like he doesn't even hear it. Niall just loves how everything in Harry's sight zeros in on him. He doesn't even see anything or anyone else. He wants Niall, he wants him so much and in that moment he'll do anything, everything, just so Niall will touch him. It's that little bit of power that Niall allows himself to have because it's consensual and they both know what they're doing. And Harry gives himself to Niall so willingly, so easily, Niall loves it. Loves Harry. 

He devours Harry's mouth then, drags his crooked teeth over his bottom lip to bite it hard. The moans are all for him, like the shivers and the pleading. It's Niall who decides what Harry gets from him and Harry doesn't even mind the loss of control. He craves it.

"Do you know," Niall whispers into his mouth, thighs firmly pressed against Harry's, "how much I want to give to you?"

Harry whines in the back of his throat, but it sounds like a question, like he's confused.

"I want to give everything to you," Niall opens his mouth against Harry's jawline and kisses him there. "Everything you want."

"Then give it to me." Harry is impatient, maybe a little on edge. It's been too long. 

But that's where Niall likes him best. When he is too desperate to function and turns into a brat. It makes the torture so much sweeter and he knows it'll be harder for Harry to beg. But Niall loves it when he does, so he has to break him all over again.

"You didn't say the magic word, Harry."

Harry scowls at him and snarls in defiance, grabbing Niall by the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss. Niall knows the game but he doesn't let Harry, he grabs his wrists and slams him back on the mattress. He looks beautiful like that, with his pink cheeks and his hair fanned out over the pillow. So beautiful and he tells Harry that when he bends over and murmurs into his ear. Harry whines again, a little less furious this time and Niall knows that he almost has him there, it just takes a little more.

"Come on, Harry." Niall kisses his ear and then nuzzles along his jaw, pressing down Harry's wrists a little firmer when he tries to move again. "It's not so hard. You want to be good, don't you?"

"Yes," Harry breathes and he finally stops wriggling, looking up at him like Niall is some god whom he wants to show mercy. "Please."

Niall's breath shudders. "Again."

"Please... Please, Niall, _please_."

"Fuck," Niall kisses him hard and _finally_ thrusts his hips against Harry's, giving him that little bit of friction he had begged for so nicely. "See? You're so good. So good and all mine, aren't you?"

Harry nods quickly, suddenly unable to speak as he grinds against Niall. He is so hard it almost hurts, they both are, leaking inside their trousers. It's pure rutting, without any skill, without much preparation, but that's how they like it best. It's what gets them off in a matter of moments.

"Gods, Harry." Niall lets his hands move from Harry's wrists up to his hands, sliding their palms together until their fingers entwine above their heads. "I thought I lost you."

Harry gasps and shakes his head, wrapping one leg more firmly around Niall, digging the heel of his foot into the back of Niall's thigh.

"Never, _fuck_ , Niall. I... I can't."

"Still can't stay away from me, hm? It's a little pathetic."

"It is," Harry whimpers and licks his lips, raising his chin in a silent beg.

He indulges Harry this time and kisses him, because he is a little little pathetic himself. Niall is desperate to come and he wants to drag the other boy with him, thrusting harder until Harry tears his mouth away to come with a strangled shout. Niall watches him through it, only forced to close his eyes when he comes himself. Somehow it isn't as good as he remembers it. It's even better. They're breathing heavily, Niall's fingers squeezing Harry's and Harry squeezing them right back, thumb rubbing over one of his knuckles.

"Don't forget that I love you," Niall murmurs against Harry's mouth.

"Until you break my heart, eh?" Harry smiles lazily.

"I might still love you then. And perhaps _you_ will break my heart after all?"

"But that isn't the end, is it?" Harry blinks and and then frowns, like something is dawning on him. "It's like this quest... all the grief and the mending. When I ran and we fought... I also thought I had lost you, you know? I was... scared? Because I didn't want it to end. So, broken hearts can be healed, I guess?"

Harry peers up at Niall, so insecure about his own words, like he's waiting for Niall to confirm it.

"Well, what do you think?" Niall asks, trying to push down his excitement.

Harry seems to think about it for a moment, worrying his bottom lip. "Hm. I think... maybe hearts can be broken and healed by the same person."

Niall tries not to light up like a thousand suns but it is really _really_ hard and he feels his skin burn as he dips his head to kiss Harry again because _finally_ he led Harry there, to the point where he can heal himself, where he can trust himself to trust others. Niall is so giddy with it and even though they both feel gross in their pants and should probably change, he doesn't let Harry move, instead he kisses him over and over again, until their lips are bruised and their hearts are swollen.

*

They all come together again for dinner and somehow it is the happiest Niall has felt in a long time. They're lounging on a pile of pillows and blankets, Zayn with his head in Louis' lap and one leg hooked over Liam's. Zayn looks happy too and when he smiles at Niall, Niall smiles back. They take all the food Zayn has left because they know they will leave in the morning, so they eat in gluttonous silence and occasionally throw some of it at each other's heads.

"None of you have any manners, do you?" Liam grumbles as he picks the remains of a tomato out of his hair. 

Louis only grins and picks up the piece of bread Zayn is handing him. "Come on, Liam, make me a sandwich!" He tosses the bread at Liam but it flies right over his head and he seems very unconcerned about it.

"Poof, you're a sandwich," Liam deadpans, wriggling his fingers like a wizard.

Louis and Zayn cringe instantly. Niall kinda feels like that joke is physically hurting him. _Harry_ on the other hand doubles over and laughs like a madman.

"Oh my gods," he cries. "Louis, I don't even know what you mean. Liam is plenty of fun!"

"Oh? Well, how about we switch boyfriends then? You take Liam and we take Niall."

"Uh, gross." Liam says. "You want two brothers to make out with each other?"

The most mischievous grin appears on Louis lips and he shrugs, fingers combing through Zayn's hair. Before anyone else can say something though, Harry tugs at Niall's shirt and pulls him closer.

"Uhm, Sorry, Liam. You're great but not that great."

"I'm a son of the big three!"

Niall rolls his eyes. "No one is swapping and no one is better than anyone else. Also, Harry's mine." He puts a hand over Harry's stomach and rubs his thumb over it for a moment.

Harry only raises an eyebrow. "Why do you act like you knocked me up?"

Niall hits him with an invisible newspaper.

After that it's easy chatter and feels like they're a team again, the one that grew during the quest for the past couple of weeks. Zayn fits in seamlessly, even when he's a bit more quiet. But Niall knows that it's just his brother. He likes to lean back and watch everyone fondly. The quest still pokes at the back of their minds though and after Liam recited the prophecy to everyone (again), they try to plan their next move.

"We don't even know where to look," Harry says. "And we don't have much time left."

"Yeah, it's getting hotter," Louis mumbles and stares down at the map that lies in front of them. "We should go back to New York. Maybe we'll find it there."

"Wouldn't it be a crap prophecy if it chases us all the way here and then right back?" Niall shakes his head. "There must be a reason why we needed to find Zayn. Maybe his abilities can help?"

He looks over to his brother who is propped up against the couch now, chin resting on his knee. He is oddly silent, not the kind of silence he had radiated before.

"Zee?"

He blinks then, raising his eyes to Niall and clearing his throat.

"Sorry."

"You alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright."

"What is it then?" Liam touches his hand.

"I have it," Zayn blurts out, looking Niall straight in the eye. "I have the cornucopia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soft and Squishy are working hard on this and there is an end in sight! Thank you for sticking around <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHOWDOWN <3

"Are you shitting us right now?" Liam stares at Zayn like he grew a second head.

"No, I'm not."

"Don't tell me y--"

"I didn't steal it," Zayn clarifies. "I found it."

"Where?" Harry frowns at him.

"New Mexico, Roswell. Whoever stole it must've thought himself so clever and funny. I carried it all the way here. Figured it was safer."

Niall isn't as confused as the others. To him it makes perfect sense that Zayn has something to do with it. He knows his brother, and the prophecy wouldn't have mentioned Zayn without cause. So all he does is sigh.

"Where is it now?

"In the mountains," Zayn murmurs. "As far away from anything alive as possible."

Niall grins a little. "Smart."

Zayn shrugs. Harry mutters something under his breath that sounds a lot like 'why exactly is that smart?' before everyone jumps to their feet. Apparently they can't wait until tomorrow. They have a quest to fulfill and Niall hasn't been very optimistic before, but he is now.

*

"How much longer?" Louis whines as he climbs up another rock, sweat running down his face.

Niall doesn't feel any better and lets Harry pull him over the ledge because his arms are already shaking with the effort.

"Just a little, it's over there," Zayn shouts over his shoulder, straightening his backpack.

They are all just wearing their shirts but those are already soaked with sweat. The sun is even more merciless up here. Niall feels like he should do something about it but everything feels off and wrong, like he doesn't have much of a grasp on his powers. Besides, it's not just the sun. The whole weather is a mess, he probably can't do _anything_.

Everyone is wheezing and groaning and they're quite a pitiful sight, until Harry slips and lands flat on his back. Liam sucks in a sharp breath with his fist against his lips, because yeah, it looked really painful and even Louis grimaces. Niall on the other hand bursts into laughter, he can't help it. It's not the first time Harry has slipped, he's basically a human accident machine and Niall loves every minute of it. He bends down to grab the hands of a humiliated Harry to pull him back up.

"This is the worst," Harry whines and when their chests bump together they both start giggling like idiots. 

Niall caresses Harry's sore back, trying to contain his laughing fit.

"You okay?" He asks and bites at his own lip.

Harry's face is all red, his hair a mess and he's still cackling.

"Yeah," he breathes then and presses a kiss to Niall's lips, which promptly makes both of them laugh again.

"What's wrong with them?" They hear Louis' confused voice.

"Probably a sunstroke," Zayn offers.

"Let's just move on until they catch up." Liam sounds a little annoyed.

"Do you think Louis needs Zayn because Liam is always so serious?" Harry whispers into Niall's ear when they start walking again.

"I don't know," Niall whispers back. "But maybe there's a side of him we haven't seen yet."

They both press their lips into a thin line to suppress a grin, especially when Liam turns around to check on them with a frown.

"Stop lagging behind, lads!" 

As soon as his back faces them again Harry sings under his breath. "How bout I do anywaaaay?"

Which makes Niall laugh until he cries, with Harry's arm thrown around his neck.

*

Niall isn't laughing anymore when they reach the entrance to a cave. It's the cave Zayn hid the Cornucopia in and it's so dark inside, pitch black, that Niall feels ill. Of course he will step inside but that doesn't mean he's not feeling the anxiety bubbling up in his throat. There are things he can do and things he _can't_ do. What he can't do is drive at night because the darkness and the red traffic lights are setting him on edge, so he tries to sleep through it and lets Louis and Liam take turns. What he _can_ do is go into that cave and hope there is some light left inside of him. Niall doesn't have to look at Harry to know that he feels the same and as they follow the other boys, their fingers find each other in the dark.

"Just a little further," Zayn tells them and a few moments later Niall feels his brother grab his other hand, leading him through the cave. It makes breathing a little easier. They keep going like that for another several minutes until Zayn lights a fire and they find themselves in a cavern, with the cornucopia resting on a rock. It is much bigger than Niall thought it would be, something you'd have to hold with both hands. It has the colour of golden wheat and it's overflowing with fruits that smell delicious. Suddenly they all feel a little hungry.

"Okay," Liam says. "Let's take it outside and bring it back to Demeter."

It's easier to go back and as soon as the sun touches Niall's skin he sighs in relief. This is much better. They carry it down the mountains with light-hearted chatter and jokes that make everyone laugh for once. They feel good and like they already made it. It lasts until the monsters come. It seems like they smelled the cornucopia or perhaps sensed its power because they don't even have to look, they know where it is.

"Shit," Niall curses and lays the cornucopia down at his feet. "This is it, guys!"

Louis draws his sword while Harry and Liam get their daggers ready. They are a team and there's nothing more to be said as they run off. Niall stays with the Cornucopia on a higher ground, pulling back the first arrow on his bow to hit a harpy right in the face. He can't even tell what kind of monsters they all are, there are _so many_. So many that there's no chance they came here on their own. They've been ordered to attack them and it makes Niall's stomach tighten. He can't imagine it to be Demeter, she'd come herself to get the cornucopia back, she wouldn't send _monsters_. There is something they have missed, he _knows it_.

"Gods, I'm really not a fighter," Zayn grumbles next to him, his own bow in his hand. It's carved from dark wood and the arrows have a silver sheen in the light. Niall knows this bow because it's the one Apollo gave to Zayn a long time ago. He hadn't practiced very often though, always preferring the actual arts over the martial arts.

"You'll be amazing, Zayn," Niall says before shoots down a rogue dryad that clawed at Louis' back. It makes Niall even more nervous. Dryads are gentle spirits, they don't _attack_ anyone.

"I've never been good with the bow and arrow, not as good as you."

"Which still makes you better than most."

Zayn laughs at that and hits a serpent that slithers around Liam's feet. The first shot doesn't kill it, but the second does and Liam takes a moment of breath to turn around and give Zayn the thumbs up. They are all good at what they do, the other three boys with enough routine that they have each other's backs turned to each other in a triangle, making it less likely to be attacked from behind. It's amazing to see from up here, the way Louis taps his foot on the ground until the wings of his shoes come alive and carry him away. He sees Liam turn into a heap of lightning that dashes across the mountain walls, making the rock spall beneath him, only to sink his daggers into a monster's heart at the right moment. And Harry of course, who makes Furies trip and stumble over their own feet before he stabs them. Somehow Zayn slots into their pattern like the missing piece of a puzzle, like they've always waited for him.

The monsters soon become less, but so do Niall's and Zayn's arrows and yes, there's the horrible moment when he reaches behind him and finds his quiver empty. Which is the worst timing he could possibly imagine because Harry is cornered by a mean looking flesh-eating horse. Great. Zayn only has a few arrows left for himself which means Niall has no weapon anymore. Except...

"Shit," Niall curses and drops his bow before he climbs down the rocks.

"Niall?"

"Just stay back and do what you can to protect it!"

As soon as his feet reach the ground he can see Harry struggling. Niall runs for him, hand going for his pocket. He totally forgot about it until now, the pretty knife Harry had thrown to Aphrodite's feet. He pulls it out and thumbs it open as fast as he can, leaning back a little as he draws it behind his head. _This isn't much different from an arrow,_ he tells himself and takes a deep breath before he throws it at the horse's head. It pierces an eye but that doesn't seem to kill it, it only stumbles back and neighs in agony. Which gives Harry enough time to grab the dagger he had dropped and cut open the beast's throat. 

After that he needs a moment to collect himself and Niall dashes over, pulling out the knife from the corpse and cleaning the blade on his jeans before he hands it over to Harry. Harry just stares at the knife with his mouth hanging open. Niall can't tell whether he's scared of what he sees or just stunned. Still, he isn't taking it from Niall.

"Take it," Niall says. "You know it's yours, it's perfect and _made for you_. She knows you at least that much."

Harry looks up at his words, still a little wary, but he picks it up from Niall's palm and carefully slips it back into his boot.

"Why are you down here?"

"I'm out of arrows."

"Maybe you should keep the knife then."

But the rest of the monsters are taken care of by Louis, Liam and Zayn. At least that's what it looks like but suddenly the monsters freeze. They turn their heads like they're sensing something, shuddering at a sound no one else can hear. Then they suddenly back off and _run_.

"I'm sure I should be relieved about that," Liam grunts. "But I'm really, really not."

"Same here," Louis says and that's when they see them. 

Three large shapes crawling down the mountain wall. And with crawling he absolutely means _crawling_ , all twisted bodies like they're straight from a japanese horror movie. Niall kinda wants to nope out of this immediately. He curses himself for leaving his bow with the cornucopia. _Great job, Niall._ But Harry is quick to push him behind his back, dagger in a firm grip.

"Fuck," Harry breathes when those things hit the ground and move closer. They are women, large women, with tattered clothes hanging over their shoulders and fuming faces. They look like zombified disney princesses and Niall is glad to know that he's not the only one creeped out by this.

"Demigods," one of them says with a voice as cold as ice. "We have no quarrel with you. Just hand over the cornucopia."

"Uhm. Sorry. Can't do," Harry declares.

All three of them frown at Harry. Niall pushes him a little out of the way.

"Who exactly are you? Because the cornucopia belongs to Demeter and we intend to give it back to her."

The one who spoke before hisses at him and steps forward.

"We are the Horae, the true spirits of the seasons and we will fight for it if we must."

Niall swallows. The Horae. He knows who they are. Thallo must be the one in the green dress that looks more brown at the moment, full of dirt and twigs. She is spring and the protector of youth. Auxo is summer, the goddess of growth and fertility. Her hair looks like a bird's nest and her jaw is slack, like someone broke it. The one who spoke before must be Carpo then, autumn and winter. She is all about harvesting. Niall thinks Apollo mentioned her once. 

" _As the mourning seasons fight._ " Liam looks at the Horae. "You are the reason Demeter's grief turned into rage!"

"We have been under her thumb long enough," Auxo spits. Her voice cuts the air like the heat of summer.

"You will give the cornucopia to us," Thallo adds almost gently, but a grin that is too huge for her small face is plastered to it. "One way or another."

"And what will you do with it?" Harry takes a step forward.

"Do?" Carpo eyes him. "Nothing. We will destroy it."

"Destroy it?!"

"The seasons shouldn't be controlled, we shouldn't be forced into a cycle. We have been free once and we wish to be again." Carpo closes her eyes with a longing smile and puts a hand over her heart. "The ice age was a beautiful time for me."

"What the Hades." Louis turns to look at the others. Harry swallows and shakes his head. Liam sighs.

"Well, looks like we'll have to fight after all." Liam's daggers start to sizzle with electricity. 

"Go get some arrows," Harry murmurs into Niall's ear. Right, he should do that.

The Horae lunge out for them but luckily three demigods can keep three Horae in check, at least long enough for Niall to pull a bunch of arrows out of the corpses and stick them back into his quiver. He grabs a few more of Zayn's arrows as well before he climbs back up the mountain to where Zayn is still guarding the cornucopia. 

"Did you hear them?"

"Yes." Zayn looks like he's in distress. Niall can relate. "They can't have it, Ni. If they do we will all die."

Niall is aware. The titans, the gods, all monsters of Tartarus itself, they are dangerous to Olympus and every half-blood. But something as simple as this, the seasons turning on them, it's what will kill the earth and every single living being. 

"Yeah," Niall says as he draws one of the arrows that has still blood on it. "And there are still people who act like global warming isn't a thing."

Zayn snorts. "I know right?"

Fighting the Horae is much worse than all of the monsters combined. And they can see that Harry, Liam and Louis are _tired_. Their movements are a little bit slower and they take a few more seconds to recover from a blow. It should probably be funny to watch Thallo and Harry yank at each other's hair like they're in a catfight but Niall can see that Harry's face is twisted in pain.

"Excuse me," Niall mutters politely as he points the arrow at her arm. "I'm the only one who gets to pull his hair."

The arrow gets stuck in her wrist and she howls in pain before she stumbles back, eyes looking up and searching the mountain until they settle on Niall. Niall glares right back at her. _Yeah, that's right_. He quickly shoots another arrow at her but this time she dodges it before she slams Harry into a wall and starts crawling towards Niall instead. _Fuck_.

"Not smart, Ni," Zayn says next to him.

"Shut up."

This time he concentrates to gather his inner strength and let it seep through the arrow. She comes closer with every moment that passes but he knows he cannot rush this. He doesn't know if he can kill her, if he should. Would it influence the seasons forever? He doesn't exactly want to kill spring. But then he remembers how he tried to kill the moon. He was half prepared to die back then, he isn't ready to die now. Like, at all. Not even 12% ready. He takes another deep breath and aims at her head, right between her eyes, when something barrels into his side. Niall yelps and his arrow flies into oblivion.

"What the--"

"Stay down." Zayn's mouth brushes against Niall's temple, his whole body pressing down on him and making him incapable of doing anything. "Please, stay down, Niall."

"Zayn, fuck, _get off_!"

But it's too late. Thallo climbed the rest of the wall, Auxo and Carpo close on her heels. Niall's eyes flicker to Louis and Liam who are both knocked out along with Harry. _No,_ Niall thinks and finally manages to push off Zayn, trying to scramble for his bow, but his brother's arms wrap around his torso and pull him back again.

"You can't defeat them," Zayn breathes. "Please trust me on this."

Niall doesn't have a chance to say anything because the Horae rip apart the cornucopia right in front of him. They scream and claw and bite at it until there is nothing left but ashes. Niall feels ill. The Horae's fury eases into something less hostile then and they close their eyes, breathing in the air.

"Finally," Carpo hums.

"We are free now." Auxo has tears in her eyes.

Niall almost feels sorry for them. Almost. Because they just destroyed everything. He still can't move though, he couldn't lift a hand even if Zayn wasn't holding on to him with his face pressed against his neck. He is too stunned. He can't believe they failed.

 _Winter shall burn_.

He is disappointed in himself.

"We should still kill them," Thallo says with a scowl directed at Niall. Her wrist is bleeding with golden ichor, the blood of the gods.

"No. Let them suffer with the rest of humanity."

And with that they vanish into thin air, like they are part of it. Niall's eyes flicker between where they stood and the destroyed cornucopia. This is it then. And it's Zayn's fault. Finally Niall manages to pick himself up again and he twists out of Zayn's grip before he punches him right in the face. He never thought he'd be so angry with his brother but right now he could kill him. Zayn grunts at the pain, holding his face while he is lying flat on his back. 

"Why did you do that?!" Niall can't think of any sensible or reasonable answer.

"Niall..."

"No wait, I don't want to know. We'll die anyway and I want you to die as far away from me as possible!"

He leaves then. He climbs back down and runs until he reaches the others. Liam is awake again, touching the back of his head with a hiss while he's shaking Louis.

"Come on, pighead, wake up."

Niall kneels down next to Harry, who is awake as well but doesn't make any move to stand.

"Hey," Niall says softly and brushes a few loose strands out of his face. "Can you get up?"

Harry shrugs. "I don't know. My head is spinning." His eyes try to focus on Niall. "Hey, are you a siren? 'Cause I think sirens are much cooler than angels and I'm sure you could lure me to death with that pretty voice of yours. Want to be my boyfriend?"

Niall lets out something between a laugh and a sob and gathers Harry in his arms.

"Fuck, Harry. We failed. We lost."

"What?" Harry's eyes widen.

"The cornucopia is destroyed."

"What?!" Liam yells behind him.

Niall turns around and both him and Louis are looking at him. At the same time Zayn makes his way over with a grim expression and his hands tightening on the straps of his backpack.

"Zayn's fault," Niall growls and looks away. "He stopped me from killing one of the Horae. Gave them time to destroy the bloody thing."

"Zayn?" Liam sounds so young suddenly, so scared.

"Sorry," Zayn says. "But we have to hurry."

"We don't have to hurry, it's _over_."

"I'm sorry, Ni. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but..."

He pulls one of his sketchbooks out of his backpack and flips page after page until he finds the one he's been looking for. He puts it on the ground between all of them and rubs his hands together. It's a picture of the cornucopia.

"So, remember how I can bring pictures to life?"

Niall squints at Zayn, who gently puts his hands on the drawing. He concentrates and follows the dark lines of ink with his fingers, tracing them until his skin sparkles with something golden and his hands grab right through the paper. Niall sucks in a sharp breath as he watches Zayn pull out the cornucopia like it's nothing. It looks exactly like the one that got destroyed, it's just brighter, like the colours are more intense and... is that candy toppling out of it? Candy that looks like fruits.

"Apparently it also works the other way around. The one that the Horae destroyed wasn't real. I copied it and then hid it in the cave while the real one was in my sketchbook. I'm... I'm sorry for not telling you." He looks at everyone, but especially at Niall.

Niall, who suddenly feels terrible about the bruise that is already blooming on his brother's face. Niall, who feels so incredible relieved because apparently they are _not_ going to die and he hugs Harry a little tighter. Then he breathes out and apologises with his eyes. Zayn gets it and he smiles at him.

The cornucopia falls to the ground when a body flings itself at Zayn. It's Liam and he shouts "Genius!" before he peppers Zayn's face with kisses. Louis quickly joins them and there are more kisses, mostly inappropriate kisses that make Niall blush.

Harry sniffs. "No self control. I would never do that."

Niall rolls his eyes. "Harry, son of Hypocritus."

But Zayn quickly frees himself with a grin and a bright flush on his skin. 

"Guys," he stutters. Niall has _never_ heard him stutter before. "It's not a big deal."

" _You're_ a big deal," Louis laughs and presses another kiss to his lips.

"Hey," Niall finally pipes up and gets to his feet, pulling Harry with him. "It's all brilliant, I agree, but do the Horae know?"

Zayn sighs. "Not yet."

"And when they do?"

"Then we shouldn't be here anymore."

*

Niall had thought it would be easy. Just drop off the cornucopia with Demeter and everything will be fine. Turns out Demeter is a raging storm already that smells faintly of jasmine. She's hunched over on her throne that is covered in flowers. Only those flowers are all withered and burnt, gleaming like embers. She snarls at Liam when he tries to bring it to her and a wave of heat almost knocks them over. It seems hopeless. Her whole realm looks like it has been burned down and the sun is unforgiving. Her brown eyes fix Liam with another glare before they drop back to the floor. She is panting like someone who is trying to calm down but _can't_. How are they supposed to go near her like that? She doesn't _know_ them so there is no one who can reach her.

But that's when Niall remembers Demeter's complicated relationship with Harry. He never got along with her children and he always talked bad about flowers. That was until the day they woke up with flowers in their hair and a truckload of it in the Aphrodite cabin. Perhaps she was a little fond of one of them.

"Give the cornucopia to Harry," Niall says.

"What?" Both Harry and Liam look at him.

"Give it to him," Niall hisses and walks over to Liam to help him push it into Harry's hands.

"I don't understand," Harry blurts out but hugs the cornucopia to his chest with both arms.

"You don't have to," Niall declares and picks up a daisy next to him that isn't destroyed. He tucks it behind Harry's ear and smiles at him. "Just do what you always do and look pretty."

Harry makes an irritated noise but steps closer to Demeter. She doesn't acknowledge him at first but when he is as close as Liam was she lifts her head and glares at him, ready to attack him. But she doesn't. She tilts her head a little and Harry takes another step forward.

"Uhm, we... we brought this back for you," Harry says carefully and stops in front of her throne.

Demeter reaches out with a dangerous hiss and Niall's instincts make him grab for his bow, but he quickly realises that she isn't trying to attack Harry, she just tears the cornucopia away from him and then cradles it to her chest like a child. She simply sits there for several moments, Harry slowly walking backwards until Niall catches him. The cornucopia starts to hum like it's alive and fruits tumble down her dress. Niall is not exactly sure what is happening but he feels the temperature drop as Demeter's face relaxes. The sun isn't burning anymore and suddenly it starts to _snow_. They all gasp. Winter is back, Niall realises when he starts to freeze a little. The others are trembling, too.

Demeter's green dress slowly changes to black and her blonde hair that has been all over the place a moment ago, is smooth now and falls over her shoulder with a golden wheat crown on her head. There are tears in her eyes and they stream down her mature yet beautiful face. _It worked_. Niall sighs in relief.

"Demigods..." Her voice is warm and loving with a hint of grief. She smiles fondly at her cornucopia and strokes it with her fingers before she looks up at them. "You have done well."

"You're welcome?" Harry tries.

"However," she continues and sounds a little colder, like the snow that is slowly covering her body and her throne. "I demand punishment for the one who stole it from me."

She is looking straight at Louis. Niall gapes and they all turn around to stare at him. Louis throws a look over his own shoulder.

"Huh? Oh... What, me?" He chuckles nervously.

"Oh my gods," Liam says in disbelief. "Please, Louis. You've done a lot of stupid shit since I've known you but _please_ tell me you weren't _that_ stupid."

"Well..." Louis gestures wildly with his hands. "It's not like I did it out of _fun_."

"What on earth and Olympus made you do that?" Zayn seems just as shocked.

"I..."

"No more lies, Louis." Liam has a hard look on his face. 

"I just... I had to do something, okay? I knew if something important was missing they would send us on a quest. And I thought... I could just chime in and use it as an excuse to look for Zayn. I missed him so much. We both did, Liam." He stares at his feet with his voice so small.

Niall doesn't say anything because he's not sure he can condemn Louis for it. He had wanted Zayn back too, though perhaps not as desperately as the two of them. In fact, Niall is actually a bit grateful that Louis did what he did. He just doesn't think it's appropriate to say it out loud.

"I can't believe you." It's Zayn who cups Louis' face to lift it up and kiss him on the lips. "You're absolutely ridiculous, you know that?"

Louis is too stunned to kiss back but he smiles a little. Then his eyes turn to Liam who just stands there with his hands on his hips and a frown directed at both of them. 

"I'm sorry, Liam."

"I think it is me you should apologise to." Oh yeah. Demeter is still here. 

"Of course," Louis squeaks with a flash of shame on his face and he stumbles over to kneel in front of Demeter. "I'm so _so_ sorry for what I did. I didn't really think about it, it was kind of a knee jerk reaction. I'm really sorry and I didn't mean any harm by it."

"Hm." Demeter looks at him with an icy glare. "Love was your reason for it, I understand. But I am neither Aphrodite nor one of her sons, so it's not a good enough reason for me. What you did has almost destroyed me and the whole world. I think the appropriate punishment for a crime like this would be death."

Louis blanches at her words and Zayn and Liam both rush forward to crouch down next to Louis.

"Please, lady Demeter." Niall can see that Liam tries to stay calm. "He has been an idiot, but we've returned the cornucopia to you."

"There must be another way to make up for it," Zayn adds.

"Oh relax." Demeter rolls her eyes then and wipes at the tears that have frozen on her cheeks. "I won't kill him."

Everybody sighs in relief, but no one as hard as Louis.

"Thank you," Louis croaks.

" _However_ ," she says one more time and makes everyone pause. "Thieves cannot go unpunished, Dike wouldn't let me hear the end of it. You can spend half of the rest of your life in my service instead."

Louis swallows. "What does that mean?"

"I have to admit I'm a little impressed. You sneaked past me and stole something that I usually don't let out of my sight. You have a great skill that I might need in the future. There are others who like to steal things from me. Perhaps I'll need you to steal it back."

"Do I have to stay with you?" Louis looks terrified.

Demeter scowls at him. "No. You can go back and live your life. But I will call upon you again and when I do, you better don't let me wait. Do you accept your punishment, Louis Tomlinson, son of Hermes?"

Louis swallows. Liam elbows him in the side.

"Take the fucking deal," he hisses.

"Yes," Louis gulps. "I accept the punishment. Thank you lady Demeter, for being so merciful."

Demeter looks much more satisfied now and nods. "You are dismissed then."

Liam and Zayn both pull Louis to his feet and bow to Demeter before they shuffle away. Niall and Harry are about to do the same when Demeter calls for them again.

"I'm not finished yet." They look back at her. "Come here, Harry Styles, son of Aphrodite."

Harry's lips part like he is about to say something but then he closes his mouth again, probably realising that it's no use to ask why. So he just does as she says and stomps through the snow, hands rubbing over his arms.

"Yes, lady Demeter?" Harry glances up at her.

She smiles. "So polite, even after you cursed me and my ' _stupid old flowers_ ' a hundred times."

"Oh." Harry tries to laugh it off. "Well, I--"

"It's alright. I saw right through that attitude, I wasn't particularly offended. I think I liked our little game."

So she remembers the flowers that bloomed all over the cabin as well. Niall chuckles to himself. Especially because ever since that day, flowers tended to randomly bloom around Harry. Not often but occasionally. Harry always was a little irritated by that.

"You've grown a lot on this quest and you brought me the cornucopia."

Technically it was all of them, but Niall probably shouldn't mention that.

"Uh, thank you." Niall can't see Harry's face but he sounds a little confused.

"That's why I want to offer you godhood."

Niall freezes. Not just his body but his brain too because _what_?

"What? Why?" Harry lets his arms drop to his sides.

"Well, you interest me," Demeter says with red cheeks. Is she... _blushing_? "You changed like the seasons do. It's something admirable, change. Something none of the gods understand anymore and certainly don't appreciate."

Harry doesn't say anything.

"Which is why I offer you this gift. You like to break those norms and I think you would make an extraordinary god. It is me who turns mortals into immortals, you see? I did it for Triptolemus and I will do the same for you."

"I..." Harry sounds nervous, why does he sound nervous? He looks back at Niall, but only for a moment because Demeter _keeps talking_ and Niall really wishes she would stop.

"Don't worry about him." She waves at Niall dismissively. "Gods are allowed to keep mortal lovers, as you know. I was thinking you could be a minor god of love like your brother Eros, only you would guard other kinds of love, like friendship and family. You'll be about growth and change and choice."

"Choice," Harry echoes and Demeter beams at him.

"Exactly! What do you say?“ She rubs her hands in anticipation.

Harry swallows and turns his head again. Niall doesn't know what he looks like but he _feels_ pretty numb. He knows what he would choose if Demeter offered it to him. Of course his first instinct would be a 'fuck yeah' because that's part of his nature. But Niall is also trying to fight that particular aspect because he actually likes being nice. He knows that he wouldn't be a nice god.

He's not sure what he wishes for Harry. Of course he has to decide that on his own, no matter what Niall will say. And it's true, gods do keep mortal lovers. Perhaps he would be happier? But that is only what he would say out loud. The possessive beast that lives inside Niall and wants to claw its way out feels very different about it. He wants Harry to walk away from this, not only because nothing good ever comes out of 'gifts' like that, but also because he wants Harry to stay human with him. _Come on, Harry. Choose gentle. Choose simple. A simple life, or rather half-simple._ But Niall can't look at him anymore and decides to concentrate on his shoes instead. The silence is killing him.

"Sorry," Harry says so softly that Niall is certain it is meant for him. An apology for choosing godhood over them. But when his head snaps up, Harry is looking at Demeter and she doesn't look very happy. "I have to decline that offer, I'm _really_ sorry."

Demeter squints at him. "I don't have to mention that this is an offer I will not make again?"

"I figured," Harry says a little bolder this time. "But I would be an awful god. Way too much responsibility. Not really my thing."

Demeter looks at him for a long time and everyone can see the disappointment in her eyes. Then she takes a deep breath. "Very well, Harry Styles. You all may leave then."

She hugs the cornucopia to her body and their surroundings slowly fade away. They're still standing on a meadow but the trees are melting, like Demeter herself and her throne. It all crumbles until they're alone and ankle-deep in snow. And it's probably still cold, even though Niall doesn't freeze as much as the others do. Quite the opposite actually. He is burning up with affection and he can't stop looking at Harry.

"Well shit, Harry," Louis laughs. "That was the most badass thing I've ever seen. Boys, we're really good at pissing off gods, aren't we? We should start a band or something."

"Would it kill you to show at least a little regret?" Liam grumbles at him.

Louis sighs. "I'll try to be all humble for a week, okay?"

"Two," Zayn says.

"Ugh, fine."

Niall tries not to listen to them because Harry flashes him a brilliant smile as he approaches him.

"Not bad, Styles. That was almost... nice."

"Please," he snorts. "It was so easy. Like I would spend eternity with Aphrodite."

Niall smiles. "Yeah... what an absurd idea."

"And everyone's ego would be even bigger than mine!" Harry stops in front of him.

"An awful life," Niall agrees and pulls Harry in by the hem of his shirt.

"Right? Also, Harry is a silly name for a god."

"True," Niall mumbles and presses his feverish hot mouth to Harry's cold lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's basically it. Only an epilogue left for you guys. Thanks for sticking around!


	6. Chapter 6

They make it back to camp mostly unscathed and mostly thanks to a wildly grinning Zayn gunning it down the highway _way_ over the speed limit.

Liam almost has a heart attack and this time Louis is the enabler.

"Witness me!!!" Zayn screams into the wind with his head hanging out of the window. Liam grabs for the steering wheel.

"Oh come on, Liam!" Louis grins, mischief in his bright eyes. "We're alive, live a little!"

The second they rush and stumble over the borders of camp it suddenly feels so much easier to breathe, like they'd been holding their breath ever since they left and now they can finally stop and trust it's all over.

Speaking of camp, Niall's knees could buckle beneath him. Camp Half-Blood is such a glorious snowy sight, sprawling and gleaming humbly and blessedly unchanged in the cool winter sun. It's so familiar and welcoming Niall feels almost sick with relief. He's had enough of being on the move, enough of being another face in a crowd in a strange city, enough of camping in dank woods and dirty motel rooms, enough of running for his life.

"We're home." He breathes, feeling like he finally _has_ the chance to breathe.

"Yeah," Zayn says and comes to stand beside Niall, overlooking the valley of Camp Half-Blood spread beyond them with shining eyes. "We're home."

*

An unofficial welcome party waits for them on the porch of the Big House.

Tess looks smug and promises them she had absolute complete faith in them the whole time, but the embrace she pulls them all into are tight and unhurried, crushing them down to her like she's trying to memorise the shape and feel of them, like she's assuring herself they're right there in her arms.

Liam staggers over to a smiling Chiron and throws his arms around his flank. The human half.

"Gods, Chiron, how do you do it? How do you manage a whole camp full of demigods? I could barely manage three."

"There, there, my boy." Chiron pats his hair kindly and Liam peeks up to look at him. "You were prophesied as the leader of this quest for a reason. A reason you have proved tenfold. Your father would be proud, as am I."

Liam flushes red and hugs Chiron tighter.

"And _you_!" Tess yells, and Zayn and Louis both freeze. "Both of you. Don't think you're off the hook."

Louis laughs nervously and Zayn shakes his head.

"Imagine getting through the whole quest _and_ a goddess just to be killed by your oracle on your doorstep. Unbelievable. Totally our luck."

Louis and Zayn skulk off with Tess followed by a beaming Liam in the direction of the cabins but Niall glances over his shoulder at Harry and hesitates.

"Well," Mr. D looks Harry up and down, like he doesn't quite believe he's seeing him right there in front of him. "I'm glad to see you decided to listen to me for a change."

"Yeah," Harry rubs at the back of his neck. "How could I not with such sound advice as _don’t come back dead_?"

Mr. D doesn't say anything and Harry drops his arm to wring his hands and toes the snow at his feet. "Listen, I've been doing some thinking, well, a lot of thinking--"

"Ah, yes. The good old quest epiphany. Wonderful."

"Yeah there's a surprising amount of time to think about life and contemplate shit when you're nearly getting killed every day," Harry grimaces. "I don't know how the heroes do it."

"I suppose that's what you are now. A hero." The way he says it, dripping disdain and distaste, lips curling like he's sipped something sour.

Harry looks like he wants to baulk a little bit too. "Think your hero disposition could make an exception for little old me?"

Mr. D purses his lips. "That depends. Did you bring me anything back?"

Harry smiles tiredly, weakly. "Just myself."

Mr. D is suddenly oddly quiet, so unusually serious, face solemn. "Yes, I think that will do."

Harry's face crumples and he sags forward and Mr. D is right there to meet him. Who knew a god could look so small and humbled in someone's arms?

"I missed you, Dad." Harry says, so very heartfelt it makes Niall's chest ache.

"Alright, alright." Mr. D murmurs and he raises a hand to Harry's back to keep him close, hold him tight.

"I know you hate it and you'll hate me for saying it but thank you. For everything. Including all the stuff I don't know about. Fuck, you had no obligation to me, I was nothing to you. I wasn't your burden to bear but you still raised me like your own, if not more. So....thank you. For everything." Harry doesn't have to elaborate further. Shelter, family, love. A home. A choice. A person who was always there for him, who _chose_ him.

"Harry." Mr. D's eyes squeeze shut and his hands clench in the back of Harry's shirt, then he releases him and steps back. "I don't know what you're talking about," he sniffs, voice suspiciously high and smooths out the creases in his ugly Hawaiian shirt as he clears his throats. Then he squints up at Harry and asks, offended. "When did you get so tall? When did my boy grow up?"

*

Niall is unpacking his stuff, back turned to Zayn's bunk who is doing the same, silently. It is great to have him back but it's also strange and they didn't really have a chance to talk yet with the prophecy and the fight and gods who make offerings. It isn't like before and Niall doesn't know what to do. He stows his bow and arrow into the chest by the foot of his bed before he crawls into his sheets and lies down. In a habit he turns around to Zayn's bed and notices that he has done the same, facing Niall with a small smile. Zayn had looked so shocked and pale when he entered the cabin and saw that his bunk was still the same, unaltered and the way he had left it. He hadn't expected it. But Niall is head counsellor and he couldn't bear to turn around and see someone else lying in his brother's bed. It just didn't feel right.

It's the first time they are alone, only a few other siblings scattered across the cabin, talking and laughing, the ones that didn't go home for the break. And Niall feels like it's finally time to say something, to talk about what happened, to talk about the bruise on Zayn's face. But now that they have time and the chance, Niall doesn't know what to say and his mouth snaps shut again. He sighs.

Zayn doesn't say anything either, his lips pressed together when he shifts a little back on his blanket, making room for something or someone. Then he lifts his arm in a silent invitation, an unsteady smile on his face and Niall gasps a little before he climbs out of his bed and slides in next to Zayn, like he has done a hundred times before. But the last time was months ago. He shakes a little in Zayn's arms, whose hand goes straight to his hair to comb through it. Niall presses an apologetic kiss to the bruise on his cheek and Zayn grimaces just a little at the pain before he smiles again. 

It feels good to have his brother back. Niall feels like he can breathe a little easier. But he also knows that it's not the same, that he learned to live without Zayn and no matter how much he has wished him back, he doesn't know how to properly deal with his return. Not even his embrace feels the same anymore. The only thing that is the same is his smile and his voice. Niall sighs then and buries his face in Zayn's neck, hands clutching at his back.

"Alright?" Zayn whispers.

Niall nods. "Yeah, alright."

Maybe it's a good thing, that it doesn't feel like before. Maybe Niall can feel less dependent and Zayn less responsible for him. Maybe they can be proper brothers now.

*

A celebratory feast follows soon after.

It's a more quieter affair than the last feast in Harry and Niall's honour. A lot of campmates have already gone home for the holidays but it just means there's more room for the delighted nymphs and dryads and satyrs who trudge in from the cold weather outside to crowd into the cosy warmth of the dining pavilion.

The returning heroes (all five of them) are given the seats of honour in the middle of the high table usually reserved for the camp staff and Tess.

It's unspoken agreement that Liam takes the centre seat. He tries to protest that any one of them deserves it just as much if not more so than him but the four of them are adamant and after some non verbal arguments, Liam concedes and humbly takes his place with all of the good grace of the brilliant leader they all know he is.

Loud cheers follow his ascent to the high table and it only increases in volume when next comes Niall and Zayn on either of Liam's side and finally Louis, who takes the last seat beside Zayn and Harry the last seat beside Niall.

The dining pavilion is thrumming, it's infectious and Harry can't help his grin and little wave. He always loved attention, though he thinks he'd prefer the world wasn't at stake for the sake of it.

The five of them are heartily toasted and hailed as heroes by Chiron. Offerings are made to Demeter. They eat, and eat some more. They dance, and dance even more.

Harry smirks and pulls Tess onto the dance floor and waltzes lazily with her and she tells him he suits the victory laurels, then she purses her lips, eyes glazing over a little and tells him she doesn't see more of them in his future.

Harry doesn't know how to take that. What are the chances it means he gets a peaceful life? He doesn't want to dwell on it, not so soon after everything that's happened.

(he still feels the offer of immortality itching under his skin, clawing at his bones. who wouldn't want to be a god? he'd be revered, worshipped by the world, the ultimate player of his eternal game. he _loves_ attention, thrives off it. it is his ambrosia and nectar. there is nothing so sweet, so satisfying. he feels sick. why had he refused?)

And then there's Niall, easily weaving his way through the swaying crowd towards him like sun-rays streaming through clouds. There's a small grin on his face and he's squinting a little bit because he left his glasses in his cabin but his eyes are all for Harry every time. He sees Harry, always sees him, _really_ sees him. The real him.

Harry's heart clenches. Every lurking, hissing doubt and all cryptic oracle statements are forcibly burnt from his mind by Niall's radiating light and he dips and twirls Tess away and right into the arms of a passing satyr as Niall finally reaches him, arms outstretched, searching.

Harry reaches for him at the same time too and they meet with gentle touches and with oddly shy smiles. Why does it always feel like the first time, in these sweet tender moments? Niall makes him feel like a giddy kid with a crush. He should hate it. Harry really, really doesn't.

They sway on the spot, Niall's warm hands a solid weight on the back of his neck. 

"Enjoying the feast?"

"I am now."

*

Louis and Zayn duck out of the crowd and into the winter night and Liam nods over his shoulder in the direction of the lake.

Harry nods, grateful. It's already starting to feel suffocatingly crowded in the packed dining pavilion.

He tugs Niall's along and they carefully pick their way through the snow down to the lake.

What a sight they make, five heroes in matching laurels, five demigods so unlike each other and yet so fundamentally the same, same hearts, same soul. Five tired people taking refuge from a party in their honour, taking space to finally breathe easily.

Five friends, existing together in the bright white moonlight.

(and it _is_ white, Harry doesn't have to glance up to see it's perfect reflection in the icy wavering water of the lake. he doesn't want to check, doesn't _need_ to anymore. red is dead)

*

It starts off as well as you could expect, as in terribly.

Harry can't bear to look at Aphrodite let alone occupy the same space or breathe the same air as her or gods forbid, make small talk. How do you catch someone up on fifteen years of your life in an hour?

He practically jumps to his feet and flees when his watch beeps and signals the passing of an hour. He doesn't look back.

Niall runs his hands through Harry's long hair, fingers massaging his scalp as he gently asks him how it went. Harry jokes it's the worst kind of therapy money can't buy and he can't help the tears that well in his eyes, his bitter helpless crying.

Niall's there to hold him and soothe as Harry tries to get his breathing under control and the boys are there later that day to drag them to the armoury to watch Zayn craft them matching flasks that tell them when they're getting empty, a new design of his with the help of the Hephaestus cabin head counselor.

It almost distracts him.

Niall has border patrol the next month so it's Liam who walks him down to the lake.

"Hey," Liam says, picking up Harry's rapidly rising anxiety. He ducks his head to catch Harry's eye and grips his shoulders. "This is all on your terms. You're in control here. You can stop whenever you want."

Harry nods grimly and pulls Liam into a quick tight hug. He'll lend some of Liam's strength today.

He's sure Liam won't mind because Harry's gonna need it.

*

Six times they meet and six times they are silent. Six long months of company kept and silence met. On the seventh time, the seventh month, Aphrodite softly asks Harry, “How are you?”

Harry thinks about it. Thinks about Niall. Thinks about Mr. D, his unwavering support, Chiron and his steadfast training, Tess and her words. He thinks about Liam, Zayn and Louis, thinks about his siblings and even the other kids in camp and the relationships he's been mending. He thinks about the last year, and how everything has changed. Red moons and burning winters. A goddess's offer. He thinks of the man he is now and what it took for him to get here. He thinks about Niall again.

Harry looks at her, really looks, and she looks back.

"Hm, I'm good."

Nothing is fixed, but it is something. A beginning of a start, like Niall had said so many months ago.

And for now, for Harry, that is enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading and thank you SO much if you've stuck around with us for this. the feedback we've had makes our day and we're just so glad people like this lil universe cause we're pretty fond of it ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
> 
> this is only the end for now so if you wanna get updates you can subscribe to the series :^)
> 
> again, thank you for reading. it's been so much fun to write (◠‿◠✿)


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